Hours of Service of Drivers: Association of American Railroads and American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association; Application for Exemption Renewal

FMCSA announces its decision to renew provisionally for four months the exemption granted to the Association of American Railroads and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association and member railroads (the Associations) from the prohibitions against driving after the 14th hour from the beginning of the work shift (the 14-hour rule) and against driving after accumulating 60 hours of on- duty time within 7 consecutive days, or 70 hours of on-duty time within 8 consecutive days (the 60-hour/70-hour rule). The exemption will enable the employees of the Associations subject to the hours-of- service (HOS) rules to respond to unplanned events that occur outside of, or extend beyond, an employee's normal work hours. The Associations are seeking a five-year renewal of this exemption. FMCSA has requested additional information from the Associations and will review the application further before issuing a final decision on the request.