Jim Mullen, Chief Counsel, U.S. Department of Transportation 
Tom Flaten, VP Field Operations, took some notes at the 26th annual TIDA (Transportation Industry Defense Association) conference in Austin, TX on October 4th, 2018. 

Comment period for ANPRM on HOS modifications closed 10/10/2018;
– Extending short-haul on-duty time to 14 hour day
– Adverse conditions – allowing extension of 14/60/70 limits (and not just 11-hour driving time limit)
– Elimination of the 30 minute rest break requirement
– Extending split sleeper berth options beyond the 2 hours + 8 hours (e.g. 3 + 7, 4 + 6, 5 + 5)
– Consideration of either extending the 14-hour rule, or allowing O/D not driving to stop the clock
– Recap from FMCSA website. Read More

Other FMCSA initiatives include;
-18 – 21 year olds allowed to operate interstate; e.g. makes no sense how 18 year old TX driver can drive from Laredo to Amarillo legally, but cannot cross state line into Oklahoma.
– Autonomous vehicles; 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 – does human have to be in truck in order to be in compliance? 

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