Hours of Service • ELDT.LIVE
FMCSA Opens Comment Period on a 14-Hour Driving-Window Pause Study
FMCSA is seeking public input through December 7 on data collection for a 2027 pilot that would let about 256 participating property-carrying CMV drivers pause the 14-hour window for up to three hours.
The October 6 notice advances the study's data collection
FMCSA published a Federal Register notice on October 6 requesting comments on the information it plans to collect for the Split Duty Period Pilot Program. The agency expects approximately 256 commercial motor vehicle drivers to provide data so it can compare fatigue and driving performance under the current hours-of-service rules with operations under a limited pilot exemption. Comments on the information collection are due by December 7, 2026, under docket FMCSA-2026-2081.
The proposal would pause—not erase—the 14-hour window
For participating property-carrying CMV drivers, the study would test whether up to three hours of qualifying non-driving time can be excluded from the consecutive 14-hour driving window. Qualifying time may be off duty, in the sleeper berth, or on duty but not driving at the location of a cargo pickup or delivery. The notice describes an extension of the window based on the qualifying pause; it does not add driving hours or convert waiting time into driving time.
Current HOS rules remain in effect for drivers outside the pilot
The notice is a request for comment on data collection, not a general change to 49 CFR 395.3. Under the current rule, a property-carrying driver may drive only during 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty. Unless a driver is formally enrolled and operating under the pilot exemption when it begins, detention, traffic, weather delays, meal stops, and ordinary off-duty breaks generally do not stop that 14-hour clock.
FMCSA plans to study fatigue, performance, and quality of life
The agency says it will examine whether the added scheduling flexibility improves working conditions and driver quality of life while producing an equivalent or greater level of safety. FMCSA's August update said the pilot is planned for a 2027 launch, with drivers participating for four months and receiving up to $1,600 for completing all study tasks. The study is designed to produce evidence for future policy decisions; participation does not predetermine a permanent rule change.
Detention time is a central part of the test
One practical use case is time lost while a driver waits to load or unload. FMCSA says qualifying on-duty/not-driving time may count only when it is taken at a pickup or delivery location. The agency has also said it will monitor shippers during the pilot so that added flexibility does not lead to greater detention or exploitation. Drivers should continue recording duty status accurately; a pause in the regulatory window would not permit false off-duty entries for work that is actually being performed.
The study is limited to property-carrying operations
FMCSA's program materials specify that passenger-carrying CMV drivers are not eligible because the pilot concerns the rules for property-carrying vehicles. Participation will also be limited to drivers and carriers that meet the agency's eligibility and enrollment requirements. A carrier cannot create its own version of the pause or apply the planned exemption to every CDL holder in its fleet.
Drivers and carriers can comment on the collection burden and study design
The Federal Register notice asks for feedback on whether the proposed information collection is necessary, whether FMCSA's burden estimates are accurate, how the agency can improve the quality and usefulness of the data, and how it can reduce the reporting burden. Comments should identify docket FMCSA-2026-2081 and explain the reason for each suggestion. Submissions can be made through Regulations.gov, and commenters should remember that the docket will publicly display the material and personal information they provide.
Interested participants can request updates now
FMCSA previously invited professional drivers and motor carriers interested in the 2027 expanded pilots to send their contact information to pilots@dot.gov. That expression of interest is not the same as enrollment or permission to use the pause. Prospective participants should wait for official eligibility, application, exemption, training, logging, and data-submission instructions before changing any hours-of-service practice.
What dispatchers and trainees should do today
Dispatchers should continue planning with the current 14-hour rule, document detention accurately, and avoid building routes that assume a future pause. Drivers should never edit duty status to manufacture eligibility for relief that is not yet available. ELDT trainees can use the notice as a study exercise: distinguish the 11-hour driving limit from the 14-hour window, calculate how waiting affects a legal trip under today's rule, and then explain what the proposed pilot would—and would not—change.
Educational summaries help you prepare, but official FMCSA and state licensing sources remain the authority for current requirements.
Official sources
Federal Register — FMCSA information-collection notice, docket FMCSA-2026-2081 ↗FMCSA — Federal Register notice page ↗FMCSA — August 27 update on the 2027 HOS pilot programs ↗Regulations.gov — docket FMCSA-2026-2081 ↗49 CFR 395.3 — Maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles ↗ELDT.live independently creates and reviews its content. We do not present practice questions as official examination questions and do not guarantee a licensing result.