For years, federal Hours of Service (HOS) regulations have been viewed as a key tool for reducing commercial truck crashes. Yet data shows that collision rates have not declined in any meaningful way. In response, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is now working to better understand how driver schedules and fatigue impact roadway safety.

The FMCSA is currently running two pilot programs aimed at potential adjustments to existing rules, and it now plans a more detailed analysis. The goal is to evaluate how different work and rest schedules influence crash risk—fulfilling a commitment made in the agency’s 2011 final rule, which called for measuring relative crash risk per hour of driving, assessing the impact of regulatory changes, and comparing the effects of restart periods that include two full nights of rest versus those that do not.

To accomplish this, the FMCSA will publish a formal request on November 17 to gather additional information, including electronic logging device (ELD) records, crash and incident data, and inspection violation reports. Participating carriers will submit this information to Pulsar Informatics, a contracted telematics company, which will merge the new data with existing records from the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS).

A key aspect of the effort is that all collected data will be fully anonymized and made publicly available through the FMCSA Data Repository, ensuring both privacy and transparency. According to the agency, this information is essential because there is currently no comprehensive dataset that can accurately evaluate how different rest patterns or alternative schedules affect crash risk.

Finally, the FMCSA is requesting public comments on the necessity of the project, the accuracy of its estimates, potential ways to improve data quality, and strategies for reducing administrative burden without compromising the results. The goal is to establish a solid foundation for future regulatory decisions and ultimately improve safety on the nation’s highways.