Hours of Service Update

Clarion Render, VRMCA Legislative Chair and VRMCA lobbyists Peter Easter and Lynwood Butner have been working with the State Police to work out an amendment to State Regulations that would allow Virginia’s Construction Industry the same exemptions throughout the Commonwealth that currently exist for Federal Intrastate Travel. Your Association has made it happen and we are very proud to be sending our membership this legislative update concerning “Hours of Service.”

Effective March 1, 2006, Article 7, Part 395 of the Virginia Administrative Code for the Hours of Service regulation has been amended to allow for the following: 19 VAC 30-20-205. Maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles - §395.3.

“Any driver of a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle, operated wholly in the intrastate transportation of construction materials and equipment as defined in §395.2, shall not exceed 12 hours of driving time following 10 consecutive hours off-duty or drive after having been on duty 1 6 hours following 10 consecutive hours off-duty.

No driver shall drive if they have been on duty 70 hours in a 7-consecutive day period if the employing motor carrier does not operate commercial motor vehicles every day of the week or 80 hours in an 8-consecutive day period if the employing motor carrier operated commercial vehicles every day of the week.”

This change represents a long-term effort by the Association to work with the Virginia Department of State Police to amend the state regulations to reflect the current exemptions for intrastate transportation of construction materials as allowed by Federal Regulations.

This is an important change for the industry as the driving time has been increased from 11 to 12 hours; the on-duty time from 14 to 16 hours; and the on-duty time from 60 to 70 hours in a seven consecutive day period and; from 70 to 80 in a eight day time frame. The 10 consecutive hours off-duty requirement remains the same.