14-hour driving window

FMCSA considering 5-year ‘special’ waiver for propane haulers

Propane truck at terminal.

Extending the limits on truck driver hours-of-service restrictions will help propane haulers respond to spikes in consumer demand, according to an exemption request to be considered by federal regulators.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is giving the public 30 days to comment on the request, submitted by the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), a 2,500-member organization based in Washington, D.C. A notice is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Friday.

As laid...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-considering-5-year-waiver-for-propane-haulers

FMCSA extends 50-state hours-of-service waiver through Oct. 15

Truck driver electronic logging device.

A 50-state waiver that has provided work-rule flexibility for commercial truck drivers and carriers for over 29 months will remain in place for another six weeks.

The emergency declaration first issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on March 13, 2020, and set to expire Wednesday has been extended through Oct. 15, according to a notice posted by the agency.

The extension is warranted, according to FMCSA, “because the presidentially declared emergency remains in place,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-extends-50-state-hours-of-service-waiver-through-oct-15

Hours-of-service challenge laid out in DC appeals court

Three safety groups and the Teamsters union have filed their initial petition in federal appeals court challenging the federal truck driver hours-of-service (HOS) final rule that went into effect last year. The groups zeroed in on the new short-haul and 30-minute rest-break provisions.

In a filing late Friday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Parents Against Tired Truckers, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, and the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/hours-of-service-challenge-laid-out-in-dc-appeals-court

Fireworks haulers seek multiyear ELD waiver

Fireworks display companies have warned regulators that Fourth of July celebrations are at stake due to federal work-rule and electronic logging device (ELD) restrictions.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is asking for comments on applications from the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA), which is requesting that expired waivers from the restrictions be renewed. APA said most of its 60 members are small, family-owned companies that rely on short-term seasonal drivers...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fireworks-haulers-seek-multiyear-eld-waiver

Shippers urge feds to consider 14-hour driving rule change

A coalition of shippers that includes Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) and Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) is pushing regulators to roll out a split-duty pilot project to allow drivers to get more productivity out of their workday.

The Safer Hauling and Infrastructure Protection (SHIP) Coalition asserts that the “Split Duty Period Pilot Program” being considered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) – which gives drivers the option to pause the 14-hour driving...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/shippers-urge-feds-to-consider-14-hour-driving-rule-change

Feds deny Pronto.AI exemption from 14-hour driving window

Pronto.AI has failed to convince federal regulators that its technology is sufficient to safely allow for additional driving time during work shifts or would allow drivers to safely extend their 14-hour workday.

In a decision scheduled to be posted in the Federal Register on Monday, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) asserted that the autonomous trucking startup was not able to provide enough data to explain why its request for a five-year exemption from the 14-hour driving...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/feds-deny-prontoai-exemption-from-14-hour-driving-window

Split-duty rest break: A lever for boosting capacity?

As the coronavirus pandemic injects more instability into the trucking sector, a push by federal regulators to make hours-of-service (HOS) rules more flexible could also make drivers’ schedules more predictable while boosting capacity.

Last month the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a proposed Split Duty Pilot Program whereby participating truck drivers would have the option to pause their 14-hour driving window with an off-duty period lasting between 30 minutes and...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/split-duty-rest-break-a-lever-for-boosting-capacity

Breaking News: FMCSA to consider easing 14-hour driving window restrictions

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is considering allowing drivers one off-duty break of at least 30 minutes — but not more than three hours — that would pause a truck driver’s 14-hour driving window.

The FMCSA announced Friday it would consider the change, which includes a stipulation that the driver takes 10 consecutive hours off duty at the end of the work shift, through a three-year pilot program. Details of the proposal can be viewed here.

“Truckers are American heroes —...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/breaking-news-fmcsa-to-consider-easing-14-hour-driving-window-restrictions

Pronto AI faces uphill road to HOS relief

Heavy-hitters representing the business, safety and insurance sectors of the trucking industry are opposing Pronto AI’s request for exemption from hours-of-service (HOS) rules that the startup contends are needed to help demonstrate the safety and economic benefits of its autonomous technology.

Pronto AI’s petition, filed with federal regulators in April, seeks to allow drivers in trucks deploying the company’s technology to drive up to 13 hours within 15 hours from the beginning of their work...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/pronto-ai-faces-uphill-road-to-hos-relief

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