As rumors of a proposal swirl in the U.S., Canadians consider a more enlightened approach to HOS

OTTAWA (Aug. 31, 1999) — As rumors swirled earlier this month that proposed new U.S. hours-of-service rules would require drivers to take up to 14 hours off during a 24-hour work-rest cycle, a task force of Canadian government and industry groups was considering a more enlightened approach: a Canadian Trucking Alliance proposal that uses a model called “48-hour averaging.”

Both on-duty and off-duty time would be averaged over a 48-hour period, with a requirement that the driver be off duty for at least 20 hours during that time. This would have to consist of one block of at least eight hours continuous off-duty time in each 24-hour period, with the balance to be up in any combination of half-hour increments. Similarly, a driver would not be allowed to work more than 28 hours in any 48-hour period. Not counting extended shifts due to unforeseen delays (bad weather, traffic congestion, etc.), no single shift could exceed 14 hours.

“The fact of the matter is, this is how truck drivers schedule their lives currently,” said CTA vice-president Graham Cooper. “They try to attain a reasonable balance of work and rest, and the way the current rules are structured, they’re not allowed the level of flexibility they want or need. We’ve tried to address that through 48-hour averaging.”

By averaging work and off-duty time, the CTA says drivers would have more flexibility to reduce cumulative fatigue, especially when they have to work at night. If a driver takes only eight hours off on Day 1, for example, he’ll have to take 12 hours off, in some combination, on Day 2, in order to log 20 hours off duty over those two days.

Even if most of those 12 hours come during the daytime, the driver at least can choose to sleep when he’s tired — say, during the afternoon dip in his circadian rhythm. Better still, he can take eight hours off twice over that 48-hour period and still have up to four hours left over for naps when he needs them-quite possibly during those critical hours between midnight and dawn.

The CTA plan is one of several ideas being considered to address the cumulative effects of fatigue. “It’s still very much on the table,” said Brian Orrbine, senior policy advisor with Transport Canada. “It’s one of several options we’re considering.”