Complying with the Hours-of-Service (HOS) regulations can be challenging for drivers and motor carriers. With the implementation of electronic logging devices and recent HOS changes, keeping drivers and operations staff up to date and in compliance is essential to avoiding preventable violations and potentially damaging the company’s public image in the Safety Measurement System (SMS).
To help in this area, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released the Education Tool for Hours of Service (ETHOS).
ETHOS is a web-based resource that enables users to enter real-world and hypothetical duty status scenarios to identify potential violations or analyze existing log entries to better understand where violations occurred. This tool includes the following HOS regulations:
- 11-hour driving limit (property) or 10-hour driving limit (passenger)
- 14-hour driving window (property) or 15-hour, on-duty limit (passenger)
- 30-minute break (property)
- Sleeper berth provision
Note: The 60/70-hour limit regulations are not covered by ETHOS.
Above is a pre-populated example of the revised 30-minute break with no violations. Additional pre-populated examples are provided, or users can enter a custom example. This can be useful when determining if a driver’s availability will meet the needs for a specific delivery or if adjustments need to be made.
Quick links to the HOS and electronic logging device rules are also provided on the ETHOS website.
CALL TO ACTION
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Use ETHOS as a training tool to educate drivers on the new HOS rules.
- Use ETHOS in one-on-one training efforts to educate individual drivers on problem areas.
- Measure SMS results before and after training to determine the effectiveness of the training.
Note: These lists are not intended to be all-inclusive.
The information in this article is provided as a courtesy of Great West Casualty Company and is part of the Value-Driven® Company program. Value-Driven Company was created to help educate and inform insureds so they can make better decisions, build a culture that values safety, and manage risk more effectively. To see what additional resources Great West Casualty Company can provide for its insureds, please contact your safety representative, or click below to find an agent.
© Great West Casualty Company 2021. The material in this publication is the property of Great West Casualty Company unless otherwise noted and may not be reproduced without its written consent by any person other than a current insured of Great West Casualty Company for business purposes. Insured should attribute use as follows: “© Great West Casualty Company 2021. Used with permission by Great West Casualty Company.”
This material is intended to be a broad overview of the subject matter and is provided for informational purposes only. Great West Casualty Company does not provide legal advice to its insureds, nor does it advise insureds on employment-related issues. Therefore, the subject matter is not intended to serve as legal or employment advice for any issue(s) that may arise in the operations of its insureds. Legal advice should always be sought from the insured’s legal counsel. Great West Casualty Company shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss, action, or inaction alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the information contained herein.
