ATRI research quantifies benefits of Hours of Service flexibility
An estimated savings in annual drive time of more than 2.3 million hours could be realized with flexible HOS options.
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), Arlington, Va., released the results of a new analysis on the potential benefits of allowing commercial drivers additional flexibility when they take required hours of service (HOS) breaks. ATRI utilized empirical truck GPS data to model the application of split rest beyond the current 8- and 2-hour increments allowed under the existing HOS rules. Results found that drivers could spend less time and money driving the same distances behind the wheel.
ATRI's study utilized a congested 40-mile stretch of urban highway in Atlanta to quantify the operational impacts of congestion. The initial assessment using the truck GPS data showed that the time it took to traverse the corridor ranged from 40-90 minutes during rush hour, a more than doubling of driving time and related operational costs.