FMCSA Updates Personal Conveyance Rule

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

Earlier this year the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued updated guidance on use of personal conveyance by commercial truck drivers.

Previously, guidance had restricted the use of personal conveyance to “unladen” vehicles, which many interpreted as bobtail or power-only moves. This final guidance makes clear that drivers can use personal conveyance for laden vehicles in certain circumstances.

One of the biggest impacts this guidance will have is to finally provide clear guidance on what to do when a driver runs out of hours on private shipper property due to unexpectedly long loading or unloading delays. Previously there was no clear answer to this as we outlined earlier.

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Specific information about the guidance

C.H. Robinson submitted comments specifically asking FMCSA to address this question and they responded as follows:

The following are examples of appropriate uses of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) while off-duty for personal conveyance that include, but are not limited to:

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“Time spent traveling to a nearby, reasonable, safe location to obtain required rest after loading or unloading. The time driving under personal conveyance must allow the driver adequate time to obtain the required rest in accordance with minimum off-duty periods under 49 CFR 395.3(a)(1) (property-carrying vehicles) or 395.5(a) (passenger-carrying vehicles) before returning to on-duty driving, and the resting location must be the first such location reasonably available.’’

New guidance adds flexibility

All electronic logging devices (ELDs) have the ability to currently log personal conveyance time. This new guidance by FMCSA will allow drivers significantly more flexibility in the use of safe and appropriate personal conveyance than they were previously able to use.

(Jason Craig is manager of government affairs for C.H. Robinson. He can be reached at 1-800-323-7598 or www.solutions@chrobinson.com. Based in Eden Prairie, Minn., C.H. Robinson is a leading third-party logistics provider offering freight transportation and logistics, outsource solutions, and information services.)