Landstar System has asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to exempt certain interruptions in consecutive rest requirements due to obligations team drivers might have in transporting high-security cargo. Separately, FedEx Ground Package System is asking that FMCSA allow the company’s home-delivery drivers to operate property-carrying commercial motor vehicles to and from their residences without being considered “on duty” for hours-of-service compliance purposes.
The new HOS rules that took effect in October of last year require that drivers using the sleeper-berth exception remain in the sleeper berth for at least eight consecutive hours during one of the two rest periods used to accumulate the equivalent of 10 hours off duty. In its request, Landstar states that for team-driver operations, this rule prevents the driver in the sleeper berth from attending to the cargo while the other driver takes a restroom break. The rule also conflicts with requirements for all persons to exit the vehicle for a security inspection when entering certain military installations, the carrier says.
Regarding the FedEx Ground request, under current regulations a driver operating a commercial motor vehicle under load is considered on duty. What FedEx seeks is an exception to that regulation for drivers returning home in trucks carrying packages that could not be delivered during the workday and then reporting to work the next day at FedEx terminals.
Comments on both applications are due Aug. 30. For more information on the exemption requests, go to http://dms.dot.gov/search and search Docket No. 22936 (Landstar) or Docket No. 24231 (FedEx Ground).
