The US Department of Transportation has various regulations intended to keep America’s highways safe. These regulations, known as “Hours of Service” can be found in 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 395, and applies to anyone who operates a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. Some states follow different rules for commercial drivers that do not engage in interstate commerce. Although, every state enforces some form of hours of service regulation in the interest of public safety. Some drivers may be required to document their hours worked with an electronic device, while others may not be required to document them at all.
Discussion Points:
• What Does Hours of Service Mean?
• Who is Covered by These Regulations?
• Exceptions to the Regulations.
• How to Document and Monitor Compliance.
• It is Never Acceptable to Drive While Tired or Fatigued.
Discussion:
In most cases the HOS regulations limit drivers to no more than 11 hours of driving time and prohibit driving after 14 hours of on-duty time. A 30-minute break is required before the end of the 8th hour from the start of the shift, and all drivers must have 10 hours off-duty between shifts. There are exceptions relating to log books if the truck you are driving does not require a CDL. It is never acceptable to drive tired, ill or fatigued.
As always, be safe out there!
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