Agency will study 14-hour clock pauses, expanded sleeper-berth splits
WASHINGTON — Truck drivers could eventually have more flexibility to deal with detention time, traffic congestion and the need for rest as two federal pilot programs move closer to implementation.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published companion notices in the Federal Register on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7 outlining plans to collect data from drivers participating in two hours-of-service (HOS) studies.
One would allow participating drivers to pause the 14-hour driving window for up to three hours. The other would test more flexible ways to split the required 10 hours of off-duty time, including 5/5 and 6/4 sleeper-berth splits.
The goal of both studies is essentially the same: Determine whether giving drivers more control over their work and rest schedules can improve working conditions and quality of life while maintaining an equivalent or greater level of safety.
For most drivers, nothing changes — at least not yet. The exemptions would apply only to drivers selected to participate in the pilot programs.
Pausing the 14-hour clock
Under current regulations, a CMV vehicle driver who’s hauling cargo can drive only within a 14-consecutive-hour window after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty.
This is sometimes affected by emergency HOS waivers issued by the FMCSA. Otherwise, once that 14-hour clock starts, it generally keeps ticking — even if the driver spends hours waiting at a shipper or receiver.
The FMCSA’s proposed Split Duty Period Pilot Program would test allowing participating drivers to pause that clock for up to three consecutive hours.
The pause could consist of off-duty or sleeper-berth time. It could also include on-duty/not-driving time, provided that time is spent at the location of a cargo pickup or delivery.
That last provision could make the pilot particularly significant for drivers dealing with detention.
The FMCSA considered allowing drivers to pause the 14-hour window during its 2019 HOS rulemaking but ultimately left the provision out of the 2020 final rule. At the time, commenters raised concerns that carriers, shippers or receivers could pressure drivers to use the pause for reasons other than rest or accommodating their own schedules.
The agency subsequently proposed a pilot program in 2020 to study pauses ranging from 30 minutes to three hours but never launched it because of changing program priorities.
The FMCSA says drivers have continued to encounter situations where such flexibility could be beneficial, specifically citing lengthy waits to load or unload.
The new study would go further than the earlier proposal by allowing qualifying on-duty/not-driving time at a pickup or delivery location to count toward the pause.
More sleeper-berth options
The second pilot focuses on another long-running request from drivers — greater flexibility in splitting sleeper-berth time.
Current regulations allow drivers to satisfy the required 10 hours off duty by splitting the time into two qualifying periods. One period must include at least seven consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, while the other must consist of at least two consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, off duty or a combination of the two. Together, the periods must total at least 10 hours.
In practice, that permits 7/3 and 8/2 splits, along with combinations in between.
Under the Flexible Sleeper Berth Pilot Program, the longer sleeper-berth period could be reduced to a minimum of five consecutive hours. Participating drivers could therefore use a 5/5 split, a 6/4 split or some combination in between to obtain the equivalent of 10 consecutive hours off duty.
The FMCSA pointed to previous research suggesting that splitting sleep into multiple periods does not necessarily increase fatigue or reduce driver performance compared with getting the same amount of sleep in one continuous period.
The agency also noted that drivers have previously asked for greater flexibility so they can sleep when tired or adjust their schedules to avoid congestion.
How the studies will work
The two pilots would follow similar formats.
The FMCSA expects approximately 256 CMV drivers to participate in each 16-week study. Researchers would compare the same drivers operating under current HOS regulations with their performance while using the exemptions.
Researchers would collect information through driver surveys, psychomotor vigilance tests, sleepiness ratings, wrist-worn actigraphy devices, records of duty status and non-intrusive telematics devices.
The data would allow the FMCSA to examine factors like driver fatigue, sleep, schedules and driving performance.
Participation in the pilots would be voluntary, and both drivers and carriers would have to meet safety-related eligibility requirements.
Among other criteria, participating carriers could not have an unsatisfactory safety rating or driver or vehicle out-of-service rates above the national average. They also could not have had FMCSA enforcement actions within the previous three years.
Drivers would need a valid CDL and medical certificate. Drivers identified in the FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse would not be eligible, regardless of whether they’ve completed the return-to-duty process. Drivers with certain license suspensions, revocations, cancellations or disqualifying convictions during the preceding two years would also be excluded.
For the sleeper-berth study, drivers would also have to regularly use a sleeper berth and operate the same sleeper-equipped CMV used for their primary employment during the study.
The FMCSA is accepting comments on both information collection requests through Dec. 7. To make a comment on the proposals, follow the links below:
Submit or view comments on the 14-hour pause pilot (Docket FMCSA-2026-2081)
Submit or view comments on the sleeper-berth pilot (Docket FMCSA-2026-2080)
Linda Garner-Bunch has been with The Trucker since 2020, picking up the reins as managing editor in 2022. Linda has nearly 40 years of experience in the publishing industry, covering topics from the trucking and automotive industry to employment, real estate, home decor, crafts, cooking, weddings, high school sports — you name it, she’s written about it. She is also an experienced photographer, designer and copy editor who has a heartfelt love for the trucking industry, from the driver’s seat to the C-suite.
