If you’ve driven a semi-truck for any amount of time, you’ll attest that the current 14-hour rule is unstoppable—literally. Many drivers wish there were a way to pause the 14-hour limit to address unforeseen issues.
Ever since the FMCSA introduced the 14-hour rule, truckers have been requesting a way to pause the clock. After all, when three hours of detention time and two hours of traffic add up, you’ve only got nine hours to make a living.
The FMCSA is finally taking action with a new pilot program: one that allows you to stop time.
Here are the details about this pause in the 14-hour regulation.
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FMCSA Proposal: Pause the 14-hour Rule
The proposal allows for a single 14-hour shift pause.
The pause must meet the following criteria:
- The pause must be between 30 minutes and 3 hours in duration.
- The pause can be logged as off-duty, sleeper berth, or on-duty/not driving.
- The pause must be taken at the location of a pickup or delivery.
Despite these conditions, the following restrictions about the 14-hour rule will remain the same:
- Drivers cannot exceed a maximum of 11 hours driving.
- A minimum of 10 consecutive hours off-duty is still required once a shift ends.
- Drives must still adhere to the 60/70-hour limits in 7/8 days.
256 CDL holders will test this proposal over four months. If crash risk and fatigue decline, there’s a good chance the proposal will move forward, making this pause in the 14-hour rule more feasible.
Potential Benefits
This new proposal gives carriers a lot to look forward to.
If a pause were implemented, drivers could expect a significant solution to these common problems:
- Pauses could be used to soften the impact of dock delays. For example, instead of using valuable time sitting at a dock waiting to be loaded, drivers could use their pause to eat, sleep, or rest.
- Pauses can also help alleviate driver fatigue. If a driver gets drowsy during their shift, they could take a nap with their additional time.
- Pauses could also lessen the frustration of traffic jams. Instead of sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, drivers could use their pause to wait out the congestion.
These benefits could help alleviate some of the challenges truckers face every day while they adhere to the 14-hour schedule.
Although the prospect of introducing a break could be exciting, some experts are concerned with how practically a pause could work.
Potential Problems
Unfortunately, a pause does pose some difficulties:
- Dispatchers could push drivers to use their pause as an excuse to stretch the day, ultimately creating more fatigue for truckers.
- Though a pause could provide a break, it does elongate the total hours that a trucker is tethered to their 14-hour rule. Some carriers may be tempted to work through their break, resulting in a longer and more tiring shift.
- The 14-rule is already complicated. Adding a pause to the list of 11/14 rules, 30-minute break rules, adverse conditions exceptions, and other clauses may complicate enforcement.
With that pause carrying so much weight for truckers, it’s essential to stay up to date on the pilot program.
You can stay up to date with the program on the official FMCSA page.
Struggling to keep up with expenses like tires and fuel?
Through ECS factoring, you can receive immediate cash, as well as the best discounts on tires and fuel in the industry.
Click the form to get started.
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