Recently the US Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that they will be publishing proposed changes to the hours of service (HOS) rules on June 7, 2019.
This is the next step in the process that began in August 2018 when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published an Advance Notice of Public Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public input to address HOS flexibility.
What is expected to be covered by the proposed changes?
The ANPRM sought input on the short haul limits, adverse driving conditions, the 30-minute rest-break provision, split sleeper-berth rule and the two petitions by OOIDA and TruckerNation. The proposed rule changes are expected to cover these areas.
What does this mean for drivers and motor carriers?
According to the FMCSA, when the proposed changes are publicized, you will have until July 26 to comment on the changes. It’s typical for FMCSA to provide a comment period that can range from 30 to 60 days. Depending on the number of requests and comments from the industry, there may be an extension of this comment period as necessary.
We at EROAD will ensure that you have the appropriate web links, forms and information that you need to make your voice heard with FMCSA.
What does this mean for EROAD technology?
Our commitment to our customers is compliance with the HOS rule sets: now under the current rules, and in the future under the new rules. The EROAD ELD will be updated to ensure that all rule changes will be covered.
Part of the comment period also includes gathering feedback from industry ELD providers like EROAD. We are ready and committed to evaluating the effort required to incorporate the proposed changes into our software. This is aimed to support FMCSA to determine the reasonable timeframe between the date of the Final Rule and the “take effect date” – the date that the rules will need to be implemented into ELDs.
In the end, we can assure you that we will stay on top of all regulatory and rule changes so that you are able to keep your fleet moving and compliant with legal requirements.
Soona Lee
Director, Regulatory Compliance - North America
Soona Lee is responsible for understanding regulatory context and policies and technical requirements and translating them for development of the company's suite of compliance products.
