• A “hi-rail” vehicle driver can exclude from the maximum on-duty time limits up to two hours of travel time per day from the calculation of both the 14-hour limit and the 60/70-hour rule but must limit the total time deducted to 30 hours per month.
• The travel time does not have to be spent in a hi-rail vehicle; the driver can be transported by another type of vehicle to the job site while on duty and still exclude up to two hours per day and 30 hours per month.

The driver of a “hi-rail” vehicle can exclude from the maximum on-duty time limits up to 2 hours of time per day, and up to 30 hours per month, traveling to and from job duty assignments. (395.1(w)).

Federal definition

A hi-rail vehicle is defined in 395.2 as “an internal rail flaw detection vehicle equipped with flange hi-rails.”

Key points

• A hi-rail vehicle driver’s time spent traveling to and from a duty assignment:
  • May exclude up to 2 hours per day from the calculation of the 14-hour limit,
  • May exclude up to 2 hours per day from the 60/70-hour rule, and
  • Must limit the deduction of time to no more than 30 hours per month.
• The “transportation to and from a duty assignment” does not require the driver to be operating a hi-rail vehicle at that time.
  • The driver could be transported by a van or other passenger vehicle to the job site while on duty and still exclude up to 2 hours per day and up to 30 hours per month.
• The time excluded under this exception must be fully and accurately accounted for by the carrier. An annotation on the driver’s log is essential to avoiding a violation.
• While operating a hi-rail vehicle on the rails, the time is considered “on duty, not driving.”