What is the 150 air-mile radius exception and who qualifies?

For drivers of property-carrying commercial motor vehicles who stay within a 150-air-mile radius and are not required to carry a commercial driver’s license (CDL), there is an exception to the record of duty status (log), 14-hour, and 30-minute-break rules. Under this exception, drivers are allowed to extend the 14-hour period by 2 hours twice per week, are allowed to maintain time records instead of logs, and do not need 30-minute rest breaks. Through September 28, 2020 these drivers are exempt from taking 30-minute rest breaks. On and after September 29, 2020, these drivers are exempt from taking the 30-minute break from eight total hours of driving. A driver who operates a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle for which a CDL is not required under Part 383 is exempt from the log requirements in 395.8 and the 14-hour rule in 395.3(a)(2) if:

• The driver operates within a 150 air-mile radius of the location where the driver reports to and is released from work, i.e., the normal work reporting location; and
• The driver returns to the normal work reporting location at the end of each duty tour; and
• The driver does not drive after the 14th hour after coming on duty on 5 days of any period of 7 consecutive days, or after the 16th hour after coming on duty on 2 days of any period of 7 consecutive days; and
• The motor carrier that employs the driver maintains for 6 months accurate records showing the time the driver reports for duty each day, the total number of hours the driver is on duty each day, and the time the driver is released from duty each day (and the total time for the preceding 7 days for drivers used for the first time or intermittently, per 395.8(j)(2)).