Based on this research, FMCSA concluded the new rule will keep drivers healthy and reduce the 5.5 percent of fatal truck crashes that are caused by driver fatigue. In addition, the new rule requires truckers to rest for at least ten hours between shifts and provides a 34-hour period to recover from cumulative fatigue.įMCSA said it tasked driver health and safety experts to review over 1,000 health- and fatigue-related articles and studies and considered thousands of comments received from drivers, truck companies, safety advocates and researchers before settling on the new safety provisions. “Ensuring drivers obtain necessary rest and restorative sleep will save lives.”Īs in the 2003 regulations, the new rule prohibits truckers from driving more than eleven hours in a row, working longer than 14 hours in a shift and driving more than 60 hours over a seven day period or 70 hours over an eight day period, Administrator Sandberg said. “The research shows that this new rule will improve driver health and safety and the safety of our roadways,” said FMCSA Administrator Annette M. “Drivers that are well rested are less likely to lose control, crash, or injure others.”
“This new rule will help keep drivers healthy and make our roads safer,” said Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. However, the rule unveiled today includes changes affecting short-haul operators and longer distance Big Rig Trucker Drivers who use in-cab sleeper-berths for their rest.
Parts of the rule, including the maximum driving time and minimum rest limits remain the same. The new rule replaces Hours-of-Service regulations that were last updated in 2003. The new rule is the product of years of research meant to keep the Big Rig Trucker population healthy and make highways safer, officials said today. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today issued a new Hours-of-Service rule that spells out the length of time commercial drivers can operate trucks before they are required to take a break. Department of Transportation Issues New Rules Regulating Work and Sleep Schedules for Commercial Truck Drivers New Rules Based on Review of Medical Research and Traffic Safety Data