The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is currently in the process of sorting through the more than 5,100 comments filed on its advanced notice of proposed rulemaking — the first phase of a potential review of hours of service regulations — and is deciding whether it will proceed with a proposal to overhaul those regs, says Joe DeLorenzo, FMCSA’s director of enforcement and compliance.
He also said, as reported by CCJ, that FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez hopes to move quickly within the regulatory process regarding hours of service reforms.
The potential reforms FMCSA has sought feedback for centre around: (1) Extending drivers’ daily 14-hour clock by two hours should adverse conditions arise; (2) adding split sleeper berth flexibility to hours regs, (3) nixing the 30-minute break requirement and allowing short-haul drivers to operate 14 hours in a day instead of the current 12-hour allotment.
In response to a question about timing for the agency’s decision, with a March time frame specifically referenced, DeLorenzo said the agency should know more by spring.