Hours of Service of Drivers-Restart Provisions

FMCSA amends its hours-of-service (HOS) requirements applicable to drivers of property-carrying commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) to remove provisions requiring that a 34-hour restart include two periods between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. and limiting use of a restart to once every 168 hours--provisions that were promulgated in December 2011. In a series of Appropriations Acts, Congress suspended these provisions, pending completion of a naturalistic study comparing the effects of the restart provisions in effect under the 2011 rule versus provisions in effect prior to the 2011 rule's compliance date. The 2017 naturalistic study found no statistically significant benefits from the restart rule. Pursuant to a 2017 Appropriations Act, the 2011 restart rules are therefore void by operation of law. Although not in effect, the provisions remain in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which could cause confusion for some stakeholders.