FMCSA Split-Duty Pilot Lets Drivers Pause 14-Hour Clock for Three Hours

When does the FMCSA split-duty pilot program start?

FMCSA is preparing a Split Duty Period Pilot Program for a 2027 rollout that will let participating drivers pause their 14-hour driving window for up to three hours each day when they spend qualifying time in a non-driving status. The agency completed a pre-test from April 1 through June 11, 2026, with nine drivers from three motor carriers in Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Drivers participated for six weeks and received $600.

What counts as qualifying time to pause the 14-hour clock?

Qualifying time includes off-duty time, sleeper berth time, or on-duty time spent at a pickup or delivery location. The pause can total up to three hours daily. This means a driver who spends two hours waiting at a shipper dock or sits off-duty for 90 minutes to wait out traffic can stop the 14-hour clock during that period, then restart it when they resume driving.

The flexibility is designed to let drivers manage real-world conditions without burning their available driving window. Waiting out traffic, severe weather, or detention time at a dock currently counts against the 14-hour limit even when the driver is not moving. Under the pilot, those hours would not count.

How does the split-duty pilot differ from the split-sleeper rule?

The split-duty pilot is separate from the existing split-sleeper berth provision. Under current hours-of-service rules, drivers can split their required 10-hour off-duty period into two segments (one must be at least five consecutive hours in the sleeper berth). The split-duty pilot does not change that rule.

Instead, the pilot addresses the 14-hour on-duty window. Right now, once a driver starts their day, they have 14 consecutive hours to complete their driving before they must take a 10-hour break. The clock runs whether the driver is moving or sitting at a dock. The pilot lets drivers stop that clock for up to three hours when they are not driving.

What did the pre-test measure?

The pre-test ran for six weeks with nine drivers across three states. FMCSA has not released safety data or compliance findings from the pre-test. The agency is using the results to design the full pilot program, which is expected to launch in 2027 with a larger group of carriers and drivers.

Pre-test participants received $600 for six weeks of participation. The payment structure for the full pilot has not been announced.

What compliance changes will carriers need for the 2027 pilot?

FMCSA has not published eligibility requirements, application procedures, or ELD configuration rules for the 2027 pilot. Carriers interested in participating should expect to submit safety data, driver rosters, and route information. ELD providers will need to update their systems to track paused time separately from off-duty or sleeper berth time, since the pause affects the 14-hour window but not the 11-hour driving limit.

Carriers should also expect FMCSA to limit participation to fleets with strong safety ratings and drivers with clean CSA records. The agency typically restricts pilot programs to carriers that can demonstrate compliance with existing hours-of-service rules.

Why FMCSA is testing split-duty flexibility now

Detention time and unpredictable shipper schedules have been a compliance pain point for years. A driver who arrives at a warehouse at 8 a.m. and waits until 11 a.m. to unload loses three hours of their 14-hour window before they even start driving again. If they hit traffic later in the day, they may run out of time before reaching their next stop, forcing them to park on a highway shoulder or scramble for truck stop space.

The split-duty pilot gives drivers a tool to recover some of that lost time without violating hours-of-service limits. If the pilot shows no increase in crashes or fatigue-related violations, FMCSA could make the pause option permanent through rulemaking.

What small fleets should do now

Small fleets and owner-operators cannot use the split-duty pause until FMCSA opens applications for the 2027 pilot. Drivers must continue to follow current hours-of-service rules, including the 14-hour on-duty limit and the existing split-sleeper berth provision.

Fleets that want to participate in the pilot should monitor FMCSA announcements for application deadlines and eligibility criteria. The agency will likely require carriers to submit safety performance data, driver qualifications, and route information before approval.

In the meantime, fleets can prepare by documenting detention time and shipper delays in their ELD records. If the pilot becomes a permanent rule, carriers with detailed records of how detention affects their drivers' hours will have the data to show how the pause option improves compliance and reduces roadside violations.

Drivers who want to manage their 14-hour window under current rules can still use the split-sleeper berth provision to divide their 10-hour break into two periods, as long as one period is at least five consecutive hours in the sleeper berth. That rule is already in effect and does not require pilot participation.