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By the Connect Express Team, Glendale, AZ. Published November 1, 2026.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has opened public comment on two proposed hours of service pilot programs. One would let drivers pause the 14-hour driving window for up to three hours while at a pickup or delivery location. The other would test more flexible sleeper berth splits. Comments on both are due December 7, 2026. Nothing changes on the road yet, but Phoenix and Glendale shippers should know what is being studied, because both ideas are tied to time trucks spend at the dock.

What FMCSA Published

On October 6, FMCSA published a notice in the Federal Register (91 FR 63640) for a “split duty period” pilot. It would study extending the 14-hour driving window with up to 3 hours of off-duty, sleeper berth, or on-duty not-driving time, “provided it is taken at the location of cargo delivery or pickup.” About 256 drivers would take part.

On October 7, a second notice (91 FR 64214) described a flexible sleeper berth pilot. Today a driver can split the required 10 hours off duty into 8 and 2 or 7 and 3. The pilot would test splits where the longer period is as short as 5 consecutive hours, such as 5 and 5 or 6 and 4. This study would also use about 256 drivers.

Both notices are information collection requests under the Paperwork Reduction Act. They ask for comment on the data FMCSA would collect. They do not change the rules.

What Has Not Changed

Current limits still apply to every load. Under 49 CFR 395.3, a property-carrying driver may drive up to 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty and may not drive after the 14th hour from coming on duty. The sleeper berth options in 49 CFR 395.1(g) remain the same, and duty status is still recorded on an ELD. Our recent news post on the FMCSA ELD crackdown covers the logging side.

A pause in the 14-hour window is not a new idea. FMCSA proposed one in 2019 but left it out of the June 2020 final rule, after commenters raised concerns that drivers could be pressured by carriers, shippers or receivers to use it. A pilot program is how the agency can gather real-world data before deciding whether to propose any change.

Transport Topics reported on October 30 that FMCSA Chief Safety Officer Steve Dowling told an industry audience on October 28 the agency will focus on hours-of-service flexibility.

Why It Matters for Phoenix Shippers

Waiting at a shipper or receiver to be loaded or unloaded generally counts as on-duty time under 49 CFR 395.2, and the 14-hour window keeps running either way. A long wait at one dock can leave a driver without enough hours to make the next appointment. That is one of the top causes of missed delivery appointments, and it applies to a load leaving Glendale for California just as much as to a local run.

The split duty pilot is built around that problem, which is why the notice limits the pause to pickup and delivery locations. Even if a pilot runs, it would cover only a small group of drivers. Shippers will get more out of fixing dock time now than waiting on a rule.

What Shippers Can Do Now

Load and unload to the appointment, and tell the carrier early if the dock is running behind.
Ask whether a preloaded trailer or drop and hook trucking would take wait time out of a regular lane.
Share your view: comments can be filed on Regulations.gov for the 14-hour pause pilot (FMCSA-2026-2081) and the sleeper berth pilot (FMCSA-2026-2080) until December 7.

Shipping out of the Valley? See our Phoenix trucking page, call Connect Express at 480-401-1998, email admin@connectexpressllc.com, or visit us at 5701 W Maryland Ave, Glendale, AZ 85301.