Earlier this month new Hours of Service regulations were put into effect by the US Department of Transportation. While this has earned lots of attention from trucking companies, many shippers are, at best, only slightly aware of these changes.

While the changes at first glance may seem small, and there are some pundits who claim the impact will be minimal, the reality is that these changes not properly managed have the potential to wreak havoc on an already over-extended system. The costs and efficiency of your supply chain are at risk if you and your supply chain partners are not fully prepared for these changes.

Over the next several weeks we will be highlighting the impact of these changes, what shippers should be paying attention to and how you should prepare to mitigate the impact of the change. Additionally, we will be releasing a white paper on the topic and will be hosting some webinars to ensure that you are fully prepared.

Today we’d like to highlight two central changes in a “just the facts” manner. To aid in your understanding of these changes we’ve included a simple summary put together by USDOT.

The two key prongs:

• Limitations on minimum “34-hour restarts”– The meaningful change here is that where previously any 34-hour break would allow you a “restart of the clock,” today that 34-hour period must include 2 1:00am – 5:00am periods. If proper attention isn’t paid, this 34-hour window could turn into a 50-hour window.
• Rest Breaks– While drivers can still work 14 hours in a day, they may not work more than 8 consecutive hours without taking a 30-minute rest break. This means that drivers must be properly trained and monitored to ensure they are following regulations, and routes and schedules must be adapted to accommodate these breaks.

Next week we’ll share insights into why these changes warrant attention.