DOT Proposes Hours-of-Service Rule For Motor Carriers
July 2000

Truck and bus drivers will have more time to sleep under a rule proposed by the Department of Transportation on April 25, 2000. The change is designed to increase road safety by reducing the potential risk of crashes caused by drowsy drivers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) estimates that tired truck and/or bus drivers cause some 755 fatalities and 19,705 injuries each year. It expects the revised rule to prevent approximately 2,600 truck-related crashes, 115 fatalities, and 2,995 serious injuries annually.

In opposition to this is the NYS Motor Truck Association, Inc. (NYSMTA), which quotes a University of Michigan study of 5,500 fatal crashes involving trucks and cars. The study found that passenger drivers were responsible for 70% of the accidents; truck drivers were responsible for 16%; and 14% was attributed to other causes.

The hours-of-service proposal would use a 24-hour clock that more closely resembles our biological sleep-wake cycle. The proposal is designed to take into account our circadian rhythm and the finding that humans need eight hours of uninterrupted sleep during a 24-hour period. It also addresses the fact that sleep during daylight is not as restorative as sleep at night and that naps or daylight sleeping cannot negate weeklong accumulated sleep deprivation.

According to the research, drivers must have at least two consecutive off-duty nights, from midnight to 6 a.m., in order to recuperate. For long-haul drivers, this period could be 56 hours or longer. The proposal addresses mandatory rest periods that vary with each of the five types of motor-carrier operations.

Four types — long-haul drivers, regional drivers, local drivers on split shifts, and local drivers on regular shifts — would be limited to no more than 60 hours of weekly on-duty time. These groups have varying requirements for a maximum of 12 hours driving time. Long-haul and regional drivers must also have 2 hours off each work shift. Local split-shift drivers must have 3 hours off within each work shift. Local drivers have no requirement for time off within their work shift. Workers whose primary duty is not driving would be limited to 78 hours of weekly on-duty time and must have at least 9 consecutive hours off in 24.

The revised rule would also require long-haul and regional drivers to use electronic on-board recording devices to verify their compliance with the regulation.

The American Trucking Association stated that this rule would require a 50% increase in trucks on the road when the industry is already struggling to find 80,000 drivers. It also faulted the rule for not addressing privacy issues concerning the mandatory computers on trucks.

Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater said he hopes to issue a final rule before the end of the year.

Susan Geier Fahmy, CSP, Director of Safety