FMCSA Sets 2027 Launch for HOS Pilot Programs

Two hours-of-service pilot programs will launch in 2027 to test new scheduling rules for truck drivers. The first program examines flexible split sleeper berths. Drivers may divide their required off-duty time into two separate blocks. The blocks must total at least ten hours. One block must contain five straight hours in the sleeper berth.

The second program tests a pause for the fourteen-hour driving window. Drivers can stop the clock for up to three hours each day. This pause applies when drivers spend qualifying time off duty, in a sleeper berth, or on duty at a loading or unloading site.

The agency finished pre-tests in 2026 with nine drivers from three carriers for each program. Those drivers worked for six weeks and earned six hundred dollars. The full pilots will involve two hundred fifty-six drivers per program. Participants will work for four months and receive up to sixteen hundred dollars.

Regulators will watch shippers during the pilots to make sure the new rules do not increase detention times or lead to driver abuse. Carriers and drivers who want updates can send their contact details to pilots@dot.gov.

Source: Heavy Duty Trucking — https://www.truckinginfo.com/news/hours-of-service-pilot-programs-fmcsa-readies-for-2027-rollout