The trucking industry has more than 18 months of experience with the new hours-of-service (HOS) rules. And with widespread use of electronic logging devices and advanced planning tools, fleets and drivers are staying compliant and productive.
As for the safety impact, are drivers less fatigued now than before the new rule went into effect in July, 2013? Have fatigue levels gone up or down since December 16, 2014, when Congress suspended the new 34-hour restart provision?
Both the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the transportation industry would like to answer these questions to redraw the battle line between safety and productivity.
The current HOS rule is based on some laws of human physiology, but there are some points of contention. What can be said for certain is that to manage driver fatigue, fleets have to go beyond compliance, says Dean Croke, who is an expert on driver fatigue and vice president of Omnitracs Analytics.
The July, 2013, HOS rule shortened drivers’ maximum workweek from 82 hours to 70 hours. It also added a new requirement that drivers take a 30-minute break in the first eight hours of coming on duty.
The more controversial portion of the rule is that drivers can use the 34-hour restart only once per week (every 168 hours). Phil Byrd, past chairman of the American Trucking Associations, has used the example of a driver coming home on Friday after working 60 hours since he last used his 34-hour restart.
Byrd, the president and CEO of Bulldog Hiway Express in Charleston, S.C., spoke at the CCJ Summer Symposium last June.
