Hours of Service

Overdrive Extra
While many support owner-op's HOS exemption request, opponents mount challenge
Lee Schmitt's request for relief from several parts of the HOS regs in June raised the old debate over the one-size-fits-all approach to the basic interstate rules. Schmitt's request has drawn support, and opposition, for a variety of reasons.
September 30, 2022
Lee and Lisa Schmitt
Regulations
Owner-ops, groups: COVID hours waiver should open door for more HOS flexibility
Individual truck owners and some groups in trucking say the safe record of operators using the COVID-related hours of service waiver should allow for more flexibility in the hours of service regulations as a whole. Other groups, however, disagreed.
September 28, 2022
livestock truck
Channel 19
FMCSA official re-emphasizes exploratory nature of pre-2000 exemption attention
Associate Administrator Larry Minor joined truckers John Grosvenor, Shawn Mitchell and others for a discussion of the current ELD-regs comment period. For now, Minor emphasized, "we're asking questions" about the pre-2000 exemption, not proposing change.
September 28, 2022
Grosvenor, Mitchell and Minor together on the Truckers Independent Broadcasting Network show.
Regulations
FMCSA extends wildfire-prompted HOS waiver in Oregon
Haulers providing direct relief for Oregon's wildfire emergency are exempt from the max driving times in the hours of service. Also: UPS gets waiver to allow pre-CDL drivers to be trained on driving doubles; Love's offering coffee deals Thursday.
September 27, 2022
Cedar Creek Fire
Regulations
'Leave us alone': ELD-exempt owner-ops say no to any pre-2000 exemption change
"Fix the roads and bridges. Provide more truck parking. Insist upon better training." As FMCSA considers potential change, owner-operators like the one quoted here insist the agency should leave any mods to the exemption on the cutting room floor.
September 27, 2022
Dry bulk tank truck on Texas highway
Electronic Logging Devices
FMCSA considering changing ELD regs around glider kits, pre-2000 engines, more
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration signaled on Thursday that it's considering changes to ELD regulations pertaining to the pre-2000 engine exemption for rebuilt or remanufactured engines in gliders, among other things.
September 15, 2022
ELD
Voices
ELD mandate: More than four years in, how did the shift affect highway safety, if at all?
Which of the choices in this poll best describes your feeling on just how the FMCSA's electronic logging device mandate impacted bedrock highway safety, if you feel it was impactful at all? Weigh in here.
September 13, 2022
E Ld Grid
Regulations
FMCSA seeks feedback on carriers’ use of COVID hours waiver
FMCSA wants feedback from carriers on the extent to which they currently rely on the emergency declaration, and any impacts on safety. Also: Freight market indices chart the way down; What are the Best Fleets to Drive For?
September 7, 2022
ELD in cab
Hours of Service
FMCSA extends COVID-19 hours of service waiver a shorter-than-usual 45 days
The reduced extension period -- half of the typical 90 days -- might signal a move toward the waiver's end, yet an FMCSA spokesperson noted ongoing evaluation on a "case by case" basis when it comes to regs relief.
August 31, 2022
E Ld Grid
Regulations
Kentucky emergency relief hours waiver extended through September
The declaration exempts carriers and drivers hauling direct relief to severe weather and flooding in the state from maximum driving time limits. Also: FMCSA names female trucking advisory board members; latest Highway Angel helps injured motorcyclist.
August 29, 2022
Kentucky flooding
Regulations
Chicago-area oil refinery shutdown prompts hours of service waiver for fuel haulers
In response to a fire shutting down BP's Whiting, Indiana, oil refinery, FMCSA has issued a regional emergency declaration, suspending hours regs for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel haulers in four states.
August 29, 2022
BP's Whiting, Indiana, oil refinery
Hours of Service
Hours of service waived for Kentucky flood-relief haulers | Owner-op wins brand-new Volvo VNL
The hours waiver applies to commercial vehicles actively engaged in relief efforts, and exempts operators from having to stop at weigh stations. Also: Landstar-leased James Johnson wins brand-new Volvo VNL; dealer group acquires two companies.
August 1, 2022
Logbook
Hours of Service
Court rejects Teamsters/advocates' case against '20 HOS changes | Four new CARB-compliant reefer units
The D.C. appeals court rejected the challenge to hours changes. Also: Carrier's new reefer units designed for lifetime CARB compliance, efficiency savings. Driver named Highway Angel for offering water to passengers stuck in traffic jam in extreme heat.
July 29, 2022
Logbook
CSA's Data Trail
'Man v. machine' comes to the roadside: Mitigating rising 'false log' risk
Five years into the ELD mandate, inspectors have the tools to catch improper use of PC, resulting most often in the "false log" violation as punishment. But faced with the choice of PC or an 11/14 violation, taking the latter on the chin might be best.
July 22, 2022
broken screen on an eld
Hours of Service
2020's split-sleeper change: FMCSA's greatest hit?
A majority of drivers now enjoy increased productivity with hours-accounting flexibility after 2020's split-sleeper shift in the hours of service. But not everyone agrees, and not everyone thinks trucking and its regulators are headed down the right path.
July 14, 2022
owner operator in semi truck parking lot
Overdrive Radio
Maximum daily driving/duty flexibility in HOS, and the owner-op in pursuit of it
For this edition of Overdrive Radio, we're joined by Lee and Lisa Schmitt. Lee's exemption request from parts of the hours of service turned plenty heads when it hit the Federal Register recently. Also: We pause to recall an owner lost far too soon ...
June 17, 2022
Collage of Overdrive Radio logo with Lee and Lisa Schmitt and Troy Huddleston
Hours of Service
2020 hours of service changes: Did they result in more productive use of your time?
Weigh in on this poll question as to whether or not you've seen improvement in your hours of service utilization as a result of 2020 changes to split-sleeper regs, the 30-minute break, the short-haul logbook exception or other changes.
June 15, 2022
E Ld Grid
Regulations
Owner-operator asks FMCSA for exemption from HOS
The owner, Leland Schmitt, says his decades of safe driving demonstrate an equivalent level of safety as the regulations; around half of recent poll respondents continue to rely on the COVID hours waiver. Also: Bill would streamline TSA credentials.
June 8, 2022
Truck parked on highway on-ramp
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