It's important to know hours of service regulation requirements. Depending on your status, you may need an electronic logging device (ELD), or you may qualify for one of the exceptions.

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Understanding hours of service regulations

Interstate carriers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) controls the hours of service regulations for carriers in interstate commerce. They apply to both commercial driver’s license (CDL) equipment and non-CDL commercial motor vehicles (CMV), including box trucks and pickups pulling trailers or containing hazardous materials.

Intrastate carriers

Intrastate carriers can follow the hours of service regulations of that state, which may be less restrictive.

Check out the Basic hours of service technical bulletin for more information.

Some exemptions to these regulations

Agricultural exemptions

Drivers hauling agricultural commodities or farm supplies may be able to use agricultural hours of service exemptions. For additional guidance on how this may apply to your operation, contact a Nationwide Fleet Specialist at RMSolutions@nationwide.com or call 1-800-260-1356.

Visit the FMCSA for more information.

Short-haul exemptions

The commonly used 150 air-mile radius, which is 172 statute mile radius, is officially known as the short-haul exception. This exception provides those who operate within these ranges an exemption from logging requirements through use of an ELD.

Check out the Basic Hours of Service technical bulletin for more information on short-haul exemptions.

Additional tools and resources
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Technical bulletins

Essential guide to rules and regulations for commercial and farm vehicles

Each section outlines the steps you need to take in order to be compliant with regulations in a topic area, and includes downloadable tools and resources to facilitate the process.

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