FMCSA Renews, Narrows HOS Exemption for Railroad Drivers
FMCSA finalized a four-year renewal of the hours-of-service exemption for drivers employed by railroads affiliated with the Association of American Railroads and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, the agency said in its notice of final disposition. The exemption, first granted in December 2020, lets covered drivers exceed the 14-hour on-duty limit and the 60-hour/70-hour weekly limits when responding to events that block rail service.
FMCSA narrowed the scope from the original grant. The exemption now covers only main-track derailments, bridge strikes, train collisions and severe weather events affecting main-track operations, not the broader list of "unplanned events" allowed before. Drivers may extend the 14-hour window by no more than three hours and the weekly limit by no more than six hours, and may not travel more than 300 air miles from their normal reporting location.
FMCSA reviewed safety records for all 257 motor carriers the associations proposed for coverage and dropped 26 with inactive USDOT numbers, leaving 231 eligible carriers listed in the notice's appendix. The associations must now report any crash within five business days and provide usage records to FMCSA on request.
What's next
- Effective October 20, 2026; expires October 18, 2030.
- Carriers in the appendix should confirm their USDOT numbers and revise dispatch protocols to reflect the main-track-only scope.
All sources
- Notice (public inspection): Exemption Application: Hours of Service of Drivers; Association of American Railroads and American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association — Federal Register public inspection (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), 2026-10-21
