09/01/2026
What if waiting at a shipper did not consume a driver’s entire 14-hour window?
FMCSA is preparing a Split Duty Period Pilot Program that would allow participating drivers to pause their 14-hour driving window for up to three hours per day.
Qualifying time could include:
• Off-duty time
• Sleeper-berth time
• On-duty time spent at a pickup or delivery location
Consider this example:
• A driver starts their shift at 6:00 a.m.
• Under today’s rules, the 14-hour window normally closes at 8:00 p.m.
• The driver then spends three qualifying hours waiting at a receiver.
• Under the pilot, those three hours could pause the clock, potentially moving the end of the driving window from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
The pause would not give the driver additional driving hours.
It would preserve the existing driving time by stopping qualifying non-driving time from consuming the 14-hour window.
This could help drivers manage:
• Detention at shippers and receivers
• Heavy traffic
• Severe weather
• Long, unavoidable non-driving delays
• Breaks that would otherwise reduce the available workday
But there is an important distinction:
• This is a PILOT program, NOT a new HOS rule.
Drivers cannot use the pause unless they are formally enrolled and operating under the pilot’s conditions.
FMCSA completed a small pre-test involving nine drivers and plans to expand the study to 256 drivers in 2027.
The agency will also monitor whether the added flexibility encourages shippers to increase driver detention.
If successful, the pilot could make route planning more realistic without increasing the 11-hour driving limit.
More information:
• FMCSA Split Duty Period Pilot Program update: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/newsroom/fmcsa-advances-hours-service-pilot-programs-americas-truck-drivers
