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12 On/12 Off, Plus Trip Recorders in New HOS Rules?
Sources inside and outside the U.S. Department of Transportation say new Hours of Service rules will attempt to adhere to the human body's 24-hour "clock" by mandating a 12-on, 12-off routine: 12 hours on-duty interspaced with two hours of rest, plus 10 hours off-duty, every day.
And, say sources in published reports, electronic trip recorders will be required in interstate trucks. The recorders would keep tabs on drivers' hours, conceivably doing away with the paper Driver's Daily Logbook.
The 12 hours of on-duty time would include loading, unloading and waiting as well as driving — something certain to elicit protests from shippers and receivers as well as managers. Also, the rules would encourage drivers to get off the road in the wee hours by allowing a "restart" of an official work week if 10-hour rest periods include the hours between midnight and 6 a.m. for two straight nights.
The DOT sent its proposed HOS rules to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review in early December. It's not known when OMB will finish its work, or when the rules will be announced. DOT was supposed to have completed the difficult rules-making a year ago, and it may not be finished by the end of this year.
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