Splitting rest beyond the current eight and two-hour increments allowed under the existing hours-of-service (HOS) rules could save commercial drivers time and money, according to a recent American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) analysis.
ATRI studied a congested 40-mile stretch of urban highway in Atlanta. Travel time varied, ranging from 40 minutes to more than 90 minutes during rush hours. This is not only a doubling of time but it increases operational costs, ATRI said.
ATRI modeled scenarios where a driver operated under current HOS rules and under flexible- split rest time. The driver under flexible hours was able to avoid congestion and 45 minutes of drive time.
“One of our biggest challenges with the HOS rules is the lack of flexibility,” Gary Helms, a driver for Covenant Transport and an America’s Road Team Captain, said. “Under the current rules, when traveling through congested cities like Atlanta, I really have no choice but to sit stuck in traffic and watch my available hours tick away. As ATRI’s study shows, with flexibility in the HOS, I could choose to rest during the worst congested times and make my delivery schedules with less time behind the wheel.”
ATRI estimates flexible HOS options could save more than 2.3 million hours and more than $150 million in operational cost annually.