The DOT released a final rule in late December revising the hours-of-service (HOS) safety requirements for commercial truck drivers.

The rule retains the current 11-hour daily driving limit but makes several major changes to the existing HOS regulations, including:

• Altering the definition of “on-duty time;”
• Requiring truck drivers to take a break of at least 30 minutes before driving more than eight hours;
• Reducing, by 12 hours, the maximum number of hours a truck driver can work within a seven-day period from 82 hours to 70 hours;
• Requiring truck drivers who maximize their weekly work hours to take at least two nights' rest from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.

The effective date of the new definition of “on-duty time” is February 27, 2012. The compliance date of the other provisions is July 1, 2013.

Penalties for Noncompliance

Trucking companies that allow drivers to exceed the 11-hour driving limit by 3 or more hours could be fined $11,000 per offense, and the drivers themselves could face civil penalties of up to $2,750 for each offense.