The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has upheld most of the new Hours of Service regulations with the exception of eliminating the need for a 30 minute break for short-haul drivers. A short-haul is defined by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as one which is driven by a vehicle that does not require a CDL or one that is within a 150-mile radius of where the driver reports to and releases from.
The FMCSA issued a statement saying it “is pleased with the court’s decision.” The HOS regulations went into effect July 1, 2013. The safety-oriented provisions have been criticized by some in the trucking industry as being expensive and overly restrictive, but consumer groups countered the regulations saying they aren’t tough enough. Currently, the standards mandate a 70-hour average work week for truckers, allowing drivers who reach that limit to only begin driving again after resting for 34 consecutive hours (including two nights), and requiring a 30-minute “off-duty” break during the first 8 hours of a shift.
