Business Fleet, September/October 2018

WWW BUSINESSFLEET COM 7 BUSINESS FLEET September October 2018 PHOTO VIA VERONICA538 WIKIMEDIA SENATE BILL WOULD ALLOW YOUNGER INTERSTATE TRUCK DRIVERS FMCSA Proposes Expanding Hours of Service Exemption for Short Hauls The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FMCSA announced on Aug 21 that it has begun a rulemaking process that potentially could reform four specific areas of current hoursof service regulations which limit the operating hours of commercial truck drivers To be published soon as an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ANPRM also known as a pre rule the proposal is coached as a request for public comment on these four specific areas under consideration for revision by the agency Expanding the current 100 air mile short haul exemption from 12 hours on duty to 14 hours on duty in order to be consistent with the rules for long haul truck drivers Extending the current 14 hour on duty limitation by up to two hours when a truck driver encounters adverse driving conditions Revising the current mandatory 30 minute break for truck drivers after 8 hours of continuous driving Reinstating the option for splitting up the required 10 hour off duty rest break for drivers operating trucks that are equipped with a sleeper berth compartment In addition the ANPRM seeks public comment and relevant data on two recently submitted petitions requesting regulatory relief from HOS rules pertaining to the 14 hour on duty limitation and regarding the 10 hour offduty requirement FMCSA said the pre rule is its response to widespread congressional industry and citizen concerns and seeks feedback from the public to determine if HOS revisions may alleviate unnecessary burdens placed on drivers while maintaining safety on our nations highways and roads Once the comment period is open via publication of the ANPRM in the Federal Register it will run for 30 days The agency noted that while compliance with the ELD rule has reached nearly 99 across the trucking industry it has also brought focus to HOS regulations especially with regard to certain regulations having a significant impact on agriculture and other sectors of trucking Three Republican senators introduced a companion bill to the DRIVE Safe Act that was proposed in the House of Representatives earlier this year that would lower the age requirement for new interstate truck drivers to 18 under certain conditions The Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy Act would create a training program that would allow commercial drivers license holders under the age of 21 to legally participate in interstate professional driving The apprenticeship training program would ensure that younger truck drivers are capable of safely operating a commercial vehicle beyond the current standards by instituting more rigorous safety standards and performance benchmarks say the proponents of the bill Drivers in the apprenticeship program would be required to complete at least 400 hours of on duty time and 240 hours of driving time accompanied by an experienced truck driver Another safety stipulation in the Senate bill requires the trucks used for training to be equipped with safety technology including active braking collision mitigation systems a video event recording system and a speed governor set at 65 mph or below The Department of Transportation also announced a pilot program that would allow military veterans with the equivalent of a CDL to bypass the current age limit PHOTO VIA ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL