Short-Haul Exemption

The short-haul exemption is a provision under FMCSA regulations that provides simplified Hours of Service compliance for drivers who operate within a limited radius and return to their starting location each day. Under the 2020 HOS rule update, qualifying drivers must operate within a 150 air-mile radius of their normal work reporting location and complete their workday within 14 hours.

Drivers operating under the short-haul exemption are not required to use an Electronic Logging Device (ELD) or maintain a detailed Record of Duty Status (RODS). Instead, they need only maintain time records showing their start time, end time, and total hours on duty. This significantly reduces the compliance burden for local and regional operations such as pickup and delivery fleets.

The 2020 rule change expanded the short-haul exemption from the previous 100 air-mile radius to 150 air miles, bringing more drivers under its coverage. However, if a driver exceeds the 150-mile radius or the 14-hour duty period on any given day, they lose the exemption for that day and must maintain full ELD records. Carriers must carefully monitor their short-haul operations to ensure ongoing compliance with the exemption requirements.