The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently unveiled plans for two pilot programs that could bring more flexibility to Hours-of-Service (HOS) rules for truck drivers. These proposals are part of a “Pro-Trucker Package” aimed at improving conditions for drivers without compromising safety.
What Are the Pilot Programs?
There are two proposed pilot programs:
- Split Duty Period Pilot Program
- Let’s drivers pause their 14-hour driving (or “on-duty”) window for a period between 30 minutes and 3 hours under certain circumstances (off-duty, sleeper berth, or on-duty/non-driving status), at the location of cargo pickup or delivery.
- Goal: give drivers flexibility to avoid traffic congestion, rest / recover during long waits (detention time), and reduce stress from being forced to race the clock.
- Flexible Sleeper Berth Pilot Program
- Currently, off-duty time required under sleeper berth rules has limited split options (e.g., “7/3” or “8/2”).
- Under this pilot, drivers could use more split-sleeper options, such as “6/4” or “5/5” splits (meaning part of the rest in the sleeper berth, part off duty or in sleeper berth in the second period) to satisfy the required 10-hour rest.
Who Can Participate
- Participation is voluntary. Drivers (and their carriers) must apply and meet eligibility criteria.
- Limited to approximately 256 drivers per pilot program.
- Drivers will need a valid Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and a medical certificate. Carriers must have a good safety record, operating authority, registration, etc.
- Data will be collected over a period of 4 months per driver: 1 month under current HOS rules (“baseline”), followed by 3 months under the pilot exemption.
What Would Not Change
- The minimum 10 consecutive hours off‐duty between duty periods remains required.
- The total maximum on‐duty or driving hours (60-hour/70-hour rules over 7/8 days) must still be observed. The pilot does not extend maximum driving or on-duty time beyond existing limits.
- The safety monitoring, data collection, and enforcement oversight will still apply. The participants’ compliance and fatigue/safety metrics will be compared between baseline and exemption periods.
Potential Benefits for all Truckers
- Greater ability to manage time during delays (traffic, loading/unloading) without always losing productive driving time.
- More rest flexibility could help alleviate fatigue and improve sleep scheduling, especially for long-haul truckers or drivers who cross time zones.
- Flexibility in sleeper berth splits could allow more efficient use of rest breaks — perhaps allowing rest when the driver is tired rather than waiting for fixed windows.
- Could improve earnings and quality of life by reducing forced idle times, unnecessary speed pressure, and legal hours running out prematurely.
Possible Concerns / What To Watch For
- Risk of pressure or coercion: carriers, shippers, or receivers might push drivers to use the pause or split options in ways that benefit them (freight delivery speed, loading delays) rather than what’s best for driver safety. FMCSA specifically flags this as something they will monitor.
- Enforcement complexity: making sure drivers are using the pause properly, in valid places (pickup/delivery locations), having clean logs, etc.
- Sleep quality issues: shorter “sleeper berth” portions could affect rest, depending on sleeper berth conditions, timing (day/night), etc.
- Data burden: participants will have to use logging devices, wearables (actigraphs), surveys/tests, which may feel like more paperwork/intrusion.
The FMCSA’s proposed pilot programs offer promising opportunities to improve the lives of truck drivers, including those in the Punjabi trucking community. Flexibility within the 14-hour driving window and additional sleeper berth split options could help reduce fatigue and wasted time. But real benefits will depend on how the programs are implemented, whether drivers are protected from pressure, and whether rest under split or paused windows is genuinely effective.
Punjabi truckers should keep a close watch on the rulemaking process, consider participating, and share their feedback — so the voice of their experience helps shape HOS rules that are fair and realistic.
