Railroad HOS relief extended by FMCSA
The Association of American Railroads and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association were granted relief from the...
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration this week announced it is renewing and modifying an exemption granted to the Association of American Railroads and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association and member railroads from certain hours-of-service regulations.
The exemption allows covered drivers to respond to unplanned events that occur outside of, or extend beyond, their normal work hours, FMCSA said. It exempts association member companies from the 14-hour rule and the 60-/70-hour rule under specific circumstances.
FMCSA did modify an existing exemption to limit the categories of unplanned events during which the exemption can be used and to add reporting requirements. Additionally, only drivers operating for motor carriers listed in the Appendix to the exemption can operate under the it.
FMCSA first granted an exemption to the associations in December 2020, which expired in December 2025. On Dec. 19, 2025, the agency provisionally renewed the exemption for six months, then for four months on June 24, 2026.
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