WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is currently seeking 18 drivers to help the agency test and fine-tune two upcoming hours-of-service pilot programs.
“Over the course of six weeks, these drivers will help us make sure the study plans, training materials and data collection tools are clear, practical and ready for broader rollout,” FMCSA said.
Program Details
This short, pre-testing phase is an important step in developing the Flexible Sleeper Berth and Split Duty Period pilot programs. Both efforts are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy’s Pro-Trucker Package and support President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14286, Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers.
The goal of these programs is to test alternatives to the current hours-of-service requirements which have the potential to improve the lives and working conditions of American truck drivers through greater flexibility, while simultaneously maintaining equal or greater levels of safety.
FMCSA is working with researchers at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) to develop and carry out these hours-of-service pilot programs. To vet the research designs and identify any issues with data collection tools, FMCSA needs drivers to sign up for the six-week pre-tests with VTTI.
Driver Qualifications
The Agency is seeking nine drivers who currently use “split sleeper berth” options (either “8/2” or “7/3”) and, most importantly, who want to test regularly using one or both of these new split options (“6/4” and “5/5”) for six weeks.
FMCSA also needs nine drivers whose schedules currently and regularly require them to drive up to the end of their 14-hour “driving window” and would also like to test the option to “pause” the window for 30 minutes minimum and up to 3 hours maximum by taking an extra break either:
(a) off-duty or in the sleeper berth in any location, or,
(b) on-duty (not driving) at the location of a pickup or delivery of cargo.
If you are a driver and would like to apply to participate in the limited pre-testing, visit FMCSA’s Hours-of-Service webpage or follow the links below:
Flexible Sleeper Berth Online Screening Questionnaire
Split Duty Period Online Screening Questionnaire
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
