Driving hours and rest time / hours of service regulations for commercial drivers

‘Driving hour and rest time’ or ‘hours of service’ (HOS) regulations are regulations that limit when and for how long drivers of commercial goods or passenger vehicles are allowed to drive and/or work during a particular period. The purpose of these regulations is to reduce driver fatigue and to reduce fatigue-related accidents. The levels of enforcement of these regulations were found to vary and to be low in many countries. Both in Europe and the USA high violation levels of the regulations have been noted. In Europe there is no direct evidence that HOS regulations have reduced average driving times, driver fatigue, or accidents. In the USA the evidence of the safety effectiveness of HOS regulations is mixed. Both positive and negative findings have been reported, in terms of change in driving and rest time, sleep, and accidents. There is evidence that increased or improved monitoring or enforcement of HOS regulations leads to higher compliance and more safety.