Trucker asks FMCSA to release him from HOS

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) received an application with a request for a five-year exemption from federal HOS regulations and ELD electronic registration devices.

On August 19, trucker Ronnie Brown III requested a five-year exemption from HOS and ELD regulations, including the requirement of 10 hours of work in a 14-hour driving window, 60 hours of driving in 7 days, and 70 hours in 8 days, as well as the ELD rule.

Brown cites several safety concerns as reasons for requesting an exemption from the rules.

The petitioner claims that the HOS rules present “security concerns” and are “one set of rules for all”. Brown adds that the ELD and HOS rules are a violation of the “constitutional right to free movement.”

“ELD rules and hours of operation make drivers like me drive tired at times because we don’t have the ability to stop for a nap without disrupting hours of operation that day and we can lose work hours a day because I can’t legally drive tired. In addition, loading and unloading times affect my working hours,” Brown said in a letter to FMCSA.

Trucker says he has been working in trucking for over 15 years. HOS rules do not take into account the individual characteristics of each driver.

“I can safely use my time at the loading docks to take naps during the process. I can drive a truck safely and know when I’m tired and stay within my safety limits, no matter how much sleep I have or how long I’ve been on the road. I can keep a safe distance from other vehicles, regardless of the traffic situation, and I have never had a preventable accident, and only one unavoidable accident in 2007,” Brown said.

The FMCSA Is accepting public comments on Brown’s request through September 19.

You can leave your anonymous comment online at this link.