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What changes could be coming for hours of service?

On Behalf of | Sep 4, 2019 | Trucking And Transportation |

As a truck driver in Virginia, you know how important it is to follow all regulations regarding the time you can be on the road and when you need to take rest breaks. Not adhering to these laws could mean a lot of trouble and hassle for you in the future. Set by the federal government, the hours of service explain to you exactly how many hours you may drive in a set time and also cover breaks you must take. They are often revised. A new proposed revision may bring some changes of which you need to be aware.

According to DAT Solutions, LLC., the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration wants to allow for some leeway in the rules to accommodate you during tricky situations. For example, there is a proposal to extend your drive time for bad weather. You have a two-hour extension now, but this would give you four hours total. There is also a proposal to stop the clock on your drive time when you take one 30  minute break during that period. You have to take a 30-minute break every eight hours, but usually, the timer on your total 14 hours of drive time keeps running. This would help give you that 30 minutes drive time back.

If you have a sleep berth, one proposal may appeal to you. Instead of having to take a 10-hour break in one chunk, you would now be able to split it so you could spend up to seven hours on break in one period and at least two hours in the other period for your 10 hours total. Your break periods also would not go against your 14-hour driving window. This information is for education only and does not constitute legal advice.