FMCSA is holding a public listening session to solicit concepts, ideas, and information on hours-of-service (HOS) requirements for motorcoach drivers. The Agency seeks data and answers relating to the following issues and questions as it considers development of a rulemaking on these requirements:

1. Driving Time - Information or data that examine fatigue and safety differences associated with different driving time periods.
2. Duty Time/Driving Window - Information on patterns of work for motorcoach drivers.
3. Time-On-Task (TOT) Function - Information on methods for evaluating fatigue associated with motorcoach operators' actual driving time, including suggestions for estimating TOT effects, especially where it might obtain data on exposure and other motorcoach driver characteristics that would enable the Agency to estimate how or whether crash risk varies over successive hours of daily driving.
4. Cumulative Fatigue - Information on the effects of cumulative fatigue during the work week, particularly scientific studies or data that would allow evaluation of cumulative fatigue and its impact on workplace safety, motorcoach driver safety performance, and productivity.

HOS requirements for motorcoach operators have not been substantially revised in several decades. FMCSA did not include changes to the motorcoach HOS requirements in its April 28, 2003, Final Rule (68 FR 22456) concerning HOS requirements for truck drivers or in subsequent revisions of that rule because the Agency lacked sufficient data on motorcoach operations to form the basis of a rulemaking. Motorcoach operations differ significantly from trucking operations; passenger-carrying drivers have unique fatigue issues associated with their industry.

The current HOS rules for passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) allow up to 10 hours of driving time following 8 consecutive hours off duty. Driving is prohibited after the operator has accumulated 15 hours on duty following 8 consecutive hours off duty (15-hour rule). However, miscellaneous off-duty periods during the day are not counted in the 15-hour window. Therefore, the amount of time between the beginning of the work day and the driver completing all driving tasks may exceed 15 hours. With regard to weekly limitations, drivers of passenger-carrying CMVs are prohibited from driving after accumulating:

• 60 hours of on-duty time in any 7 consecutive days if the employing motor carrier does not operate CMVs every day of the week; or
• 70 hours in any period of 8 consecutive days if the employing motor carrier operates CMVs every day of the week.