Autonomous tech company requests hours-of-service exemption

A company that develops autonomous trucking technology is requesting an exemption from FMCSA’s hours-of-service requirements.

In a notice that is scheduled to publish in the Federal Register on Monday, April 20, Pronto requested a renewable five-year exemption from the 11-hour driving limit and the 14-hour driving window.

Pronto asked for drivers operating commercial motor vehicles equipped with the Copilot by Pronto advanced driver assistance systems, the SmartDrive Video Safety Program, and “operating under certain other safeguards,” be allowed to drive up to 13 hours in a 15-hour window.

“This unique exemption promotes a significant improvement in the safe operation of commercial motor vehicles on the highways,” Pronto wrote in its exemption request. “It requests additional driving and duty-period hours for drivers of vehicles equipped with advanced technologies that greatly mitigate the risks of driver distraction and inattentiveness and assist the driver in maintaining safe operations.”

The company said it is not requesting an exemption from required rest breaks.

Once the hours of service exemption request is published in the Federal Register, the public will have 30 days to comment.

Exemption granted

In another notice set to publish on April 20, FMCSA said it is renewing an exemption involving the split-sleeper berth rule to McKee Foods Transportation.

The exemption allows team drivers for McKee to take the equivalent of 10 consecutive hours off duty by splitting sleeper time into two periods totaling 10 hours as long as neither of those periods is less than three hours.

Related hours of service news

In March, FMCSA sent its final rule for hours of service to the Office of Management and Budget for review, but it will be months until the public sees the plan.