After a long wait, the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA), finally announced the final changes to the hours of service regulations. The revisions, the result of over 8,000 public comments, were announced on May 14 by Acting Administrator Jim Mullen. The ruling is intended to add flexibility to the lives of truckers. 

Previously, the FMCSA proposed changes to the hours of service rules in 2019 and allowed time for stakeholders to comment on the changes and share their thoughts. Read about those changes in a previous TEC blog post.

With the new rules, some of the originally proposed changes went into effect, while some were changed based on comments. These rule changes are intended to offer drivers more flexibility in when they drive and when they rest, without increasing total hours driving or on-duty.

These changes to the Hours of Service regulations are set to go into effect September 29, 2020.