The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it is planning to do a field study on split rest times for those who drive sleeper berths.
Currently, the hours-of-service rules require all truck drivers to take a mandatory 10-hour rest period after the end of a 14-hour workday.
FMCSA revealed it was planning a field study on Dec. 17 after American Trucking Associations and the Minnesota Trucking Association sent a letter Dec. 3 to Administrator Anne Ferro asking for a pilot program on the sleeper berth issue.
FMCSA told Transport Topics that the agency is already proceeding along those lines.
“More than a year ago, Administrator Ferro put out a call for proposals to help the agency test if electronic onboard recorders and the latest sleep research could offer improved safety and flexibility,” FMCSA said in an e-mail.
“The National Association of Small Trucking Companies responded, and we are now in the planning stages of conducting a field operational test to examine the safety benefits and impacts of flexible uses of the sleeper berth.”
Dave Osiecki, senior vice president of policy and regulatory affairs at ATA, said his group's petition was the only proposal FMCSA has received for a sleeper-berth study. “It's our understanding that the agency is reviewing the ATA-MTA proposal and is also interest in working with other industry groups as part of this type of near-term research,” he said.
David Owen, president of NASTC, confirmed that an FMCSA staff member met with him in October about the agency’s plans to do a field study.
FMCSA also said that it will meet with ATA and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association on the issue but did not specify a date for the meetings or for the launch of its field study.
