Looks like the growing short haul segment is in it for the long haul.
Four changes to the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration’s hours of service regulations made last fall have provided fleets and their drivers with additional flexibility, which analysts say will yield dividends to the already fast-growing segment – both in more time to work each day and the ability to potentially skip ELDs.
In a webinar this week, Dave Osiecki, president and CEO at Scopelitis Transportation Consulting, laid out benefits for carriers and drivers through regulation changes in short haul trucking, rest break, adverse driving conditions and the split-sleeper berth options.
And it was clear that one of the bigger changes left behind by the Trump administration has opened up more opportunities for short haul trucking. More growth is expected in an already burgeoning segment thanks to an uptick in the air mile driving radius from 100 to 150 miles as well as an increase in the 12-hour on-duty time limit to 14 hours for those short haul drivers.
The switch allows for more time and more miles to make additional deliveries.
“There’s more efficient load scheduling, there’s less pressure to beat the clock in this certain area for short haul drivers and there’s fewer ELDs,” Osiecki explained during the hour-long webinar hosted by Axele, a transportation management systems company that offers software and an app designed to help fleets make the most of their time under HOS regs.
