Canada Issues HOS Rules; Allows Split Sleeper Use

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ransport Canada this week issued new truck driver work rules that include a provision on the use of sleeper berths that a U.S. trucking official said appeared to be more flexible than the controversial sleeper provision in the equivalent U.S. agency’s hours-of-service rules.

Truckload carriers in the United States have objected to the sleeper-berth provision in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s revised rules, saying the provision is too inflexible.

Canada’s new HOS regulations, published Wednesday in the Canada Gazette, allows drivers to split off-duty time in their vehicle’s sleeper berth, reduces maximum driving time and increases minimum off-duty time, a Canadian government official said.

The new rules, with the sleeper-berth provision, “will enhance the quality of life for drivers by allowing them to get more recuperative rest,” said Brian Orrbine, chief of Transport Canada’s Motor Carriers Division, which is similar to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FMCSA.

For the full story, see the Nov. 21 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.