Dive Brief:
- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will hold two listening sessions on its proposed changes to hours-of-service (HOS) regulations, the agency announced Tuesday.
- One hearing will take place in Dallas on Friday. The other will be in Washington, D.C., in September, but the exact date has not yet been announced.
- "The listening sessions will provide interested persons the opportunity to share their views on these topics with representatives of the Agency," the Federal Register posting reads. The sessions are open to the public.
Dive Insight:
The FMCSA published proposed changes to HOS regulations earlier this month after sending the changes to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review in March.
The agency has suggested five changes to HOS rules. These include having one break of at least 30 minutes, but no longer than three hours, that would stop the clock on the 14-hour window in which the driver can operate the truck. Another change would allow the 30-minute break requirement to be satisfied by "on-duty, not driving" time.
The agency has already received dozens of comments on the proposed regulatory shift, and the trucking industry has commended the agency for going through the process to propose changes.
After this public comment period, the FMCSA will review every comment to inform a final rule, which the agency will send to the Office of the Secretary of Transportation, and then to OMB. If OMB signs off on the final rule it will go back to the Secretary to be signed again before being finalized and posted on the Federal Register.
