FMCSA Seeks Drivers for Hours-of-Service Pilot Program Testing

FMCSA News Releases

Published March 2nd, 2026

Detected March 14th, 2026

Summary

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is seeking 18 truck drivers to participate in a six-week pilot program to test upcoming hours-of-service flexibility options. This pre-testing phase aims to refine study plans and data collection tools before a broader rollout.

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What changed

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is soliciting 18 truck drivers to participate in a six-week pilot program to test two new hours-of-service (HOS) flexibility initiatives: the Flexible Sleeper Berth and Split Duty Period programs. This pre-testing phase, conducted in collaboration with Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), is designed to ensure the clarity and practicality of study plans, training materials, and data collection tools before wider implementation. The goal is to explore alternatives to current HOS rules that could enhance driver working conditions and flexibility while maintaining safety.

Drivers interested in participating must apply through online screening questionnaires available on the FMCSA website. Nine drivers are sought for the split sleeper berth test (using options like "6/4" and "5/5"), and nine drivers are needed for the split duty period test (allowing a minimum 30-minute to 3-hour pause in the 14-hour driving window). This is an opportunity for drivers to directly influence the development of potentially more flexible HOS regulations. No specific compliance deadline is mentioned for driver applications, but the notice encourages broad sharing.

What to do next

Share information about the FMCSA HOS pilot program testing opportunity with relevant networks.
Drivers interested in participating should visit the FMCSA Hours-of-Service webpage or follow the provided links to screening questionnaires.

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In This Section

FMCSA Seeks 18 Drivers to Help Test HOS Pilot Programs

Monday, March 2, 2026 BULLETIN
Contact: fmcsa.publicaffairs@dot.gov

FMCSA currently seeks 18 drivers to help the agency test and fine-tune two upcoming hours-of-service pilot programs. Over the course of six weeks, these drivers will help us make sure the study plans, training materials, and data collection tools are clear, practical, and ready for broader rollout.

This short, pre-testing phase is an important step in developing the Flexible Sleeper Berth and Split Duty Period pilot programs. Both efforts are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy’s Pro-Trucker Package and support President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14286, Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America's Truck Drivers.

The goal of these programs is to test alternatives to the current hours-of-service requirements which have the potential to improve the lives and working conditions of American truck drivers through greater flexibility, while simultaneously maintaining equal or greater levels of safety.

FMCSA is working with researchers at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) to develop and carry out these hours-of-service pilot programs. To vet the research designs and identify any issues with data collection tools, FMCSA needs drivers to sign up for the six-week pre-tests with VTTI.

The Agency is seeking nine drivers who currently use “split sleeper berth” options (either “8/2” or “7/3”) and, most importantly, who want to test regularly using one or both of these new split options (“6/4” and “5/5”) for six weeks.

FMCSA also needs nine drivers whose schedules currently and regularly require them to drive up to the end of their 14-hour “driving window” and would also like to test the option to “pause” the window for 30 minutes minimum and up to 3 hours maximum by taking an extra break either:

(a) off-duty or in the sleeper berth in any location, or,

(b) on-duty (not driving) at the location of a pickup or delivery of cargo

If you are a driver and would like to apply to participate in the limited pre-testing, visit FMCSA’s Hours-of-Service webpage or follow the links below.

Flexible Sleeper Berth Online Screening Questionnaire

Split Duty Period Online Screening Questionnaire

Please share this information across your networks.