Orlando, Fla.—The Hours of Service regulations are issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and govern the working hours that drivers can operate commercial motor vehicles.  

Section 316.302, Florida Statutes provides these hours for a person who operates a commercial motor vehicle solely in intrastate commerce.

• Driver may drive 12 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty.
• Driver may not drive after 16th hour after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty.
• Driver may not drive after 70/80 hours on duty in 7/8 consecutive days. 34 consecutive hours off constitutes end of 7/8 day period.
• Drivers who do not exceed 150 air mile radius and no placarded haz mat are exempt from maintaining a log book. 
• Drivers not released from duty within 12 hours must document driving time.

On June 1, 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration revised four provisions of the hours of service regulations to provide greater flexibility for drivers without adversely affecting safety.

Here’s what changed

Short-haul Exception

Expands the short-haul exception to 150 air-miles and allows a 14-hour work shift to take place as part of the exception.

Adverse Driving Conditions Exception

Expands the driving window during adverse driving conditions by up to an additional 2 hours.

30-Minute Break Requirement

Requires break of at least 30 consecutive minutes after 8 cumulative hours of driving time (instead of on-duty time) and allows an on-duty/not driving period to qualify as the required break.

Sleeper Berth Provision

Modifies the sleeper berth exception to allow a driver to meet the 10-hour minimum off-duty requirement by spending at least 7 hours of that period in the berth combined with a minimum off-duty period of at least 2 hours spent inside or outside the berth, provided the two periods total at least 10 hours. When used together as specified, neither qualify period counts against the 14-hour driving window.

Before the ELD mandate (electronic logging devices), drivers used to record their hours of service on paper, and editing the records was possible. Now, after the implementation of the ELD mandate, drivers have to be very mindful of their available hours of service rules.

The U.S. Department of Transportation calls sleep-deprivation a leading factor in fatal commercial vehicle accidents, which results in several deaths every year.

At Orlando Truck Insurance, our goal is to provide professional insurance sales and service to Florida residents and businesses. Based in Orlando, Florida— our experienced insurance agents want to make every interaction a positive experience for our customers. As an independent insurance agency, our duty is to our clients’ best interests. As your insurance agents, our responsibility is to provide you the best service and the best coverage, at the best possible price.

We have the staff, the local experience and the customer service platform to help you walk through your insurance coverage options to keep your business well protected. Call one of our truck and commercial vehicles insurance specialists today at (407) 203-7085 to get you started in the right track, we’ll be happy to assist. We are in this together!

Hector Perez, Producer

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