The FMCSA Short Haul Exemption lets local truck and bus drivers skip electronic logging devices if they stay within 150 air miles of their work location and return daily. They can work 14 hours with 11 driving hours max, skip the mandatory 30-minute break, and keep time cards instead of logs. Exceeding the radius or 14-hour limit more than eight times in 30 days forces them onto an ELD.
Today we're going to be discussing how to use the HOS short haul exception. What is the Short Haul Exemption? The FMCSA Short Haul Exemption allows certain local commercial drivers to be exempt from some of the HOS rules that apply to long haul truckers, the most important relief being that these drivers don't have to log their hours of service with an electronic locking device. The exemption only applies to truck or bus drivers who operate within a 150 air mile radius of their work reporting location and who return to that location at the end of each duty day. Under the short haul exemption, you're allowed to remain on duty for up to 14 hours, but your driving time is still limited to 11 hours. You are also not required to take a mandatory 30 minute break after 8 hours of driving as is required for most truck drivers. Additionally, when using the short haul exception, you aren't required to keep a paper log or use an eld. Lastly, you don't have to keep HOS supporting documents Who Qualifies for the Short Haul Exemption? In the final rule of the ELD mandate, the FNCSA outlined which drivers would not have to use ELDs. They granted relief from the requirements of both section 395.8 and section 395.11. If a driver qualifies to qualify for the short haul exemption, you must meet the following Must operate within a 150 air mile radius of your work reporting location and must return to that location at the end of each duty day. You must not exceed a 14 hour workday with a maximum of 11 hours of driving time. You must be off duty for at least 10 hours before starting a duty day. You must keep accurate records of duty status to document compliance with the short haul exemption. As long as you meet each of those conditions, you can use the 150 air mile exemption. How does a short Haul Exemption Work? The exemption is intended to provide greater flexibility to drivers who operate within a limited geographic area and who are able to return to their home terminal each time day. It's often used by drivers who make multiple short trips and need to take advantage of the additional time to complete their deliveries. The short haul exception works great for intermodal haulers, dump truck operations, and ready mix haulers. Using the exception is simple. Just record when you report to your normal work reporting location at the beginning of your duty period. Once you finish your duty day, simply record the time that you returned on the same time card. Here's how you log the short haul exemption. As we mentioned, you must keep a time card or other document for each day that you plan to use the the 150 air mile exemption. These hours of service records must the time you report for duty, the time you go off duty, the total number of hours that you are on duty each day, and your total driving time for the last seven days. Be sure to keep these time cards for at least six months. You also have to be prepared to produce them for inspection within two business days. No special documentation is required to use the exception how does the 150 air mile radius work? 150 air miles is equal to 172.6 statute or over the road miles. The 150 air mile radius can be thought of as being as the crow flies, so your normal work reporting location would be point A and your trip destinations must be within 150 air miles from your reporting location. A pretty good way to easily find this is to open Google Maps and right click on the map. So select Measure Distance at the bottom of the pop out menu and then drag the little white.out 150 miles from your starting point. There are some limitations on using the short haul exemption. If you go outside of the 150 air miles any time you have to complete a paper log for that day only. You would also have to take your required 30 minute break on these days too. If you exceed the 150 air mile radius or 14 hour period more than 8 times in a 30 day period, you have to switch to an ELB until you are under the eight day limit again. As you can see, the short haul exemption can be a pretty powerful tool in your hours of service toolbelt. Hopefully you can see some value to using the HOS short haul exception. Keep in mind that there are some HAAS rules that must still be followed and you'll need to keep an accurate time card when operating under the exemption. Be especially careful if you go outside of the radius or you don't return to your starting location in the 14 hour duty period. If that happens, you'll have to at least prepare a paper log for that duty day. Thanks for watching. Be safe out there.
