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Alaska Driver Break

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In Alaska, is there a law requiring breaks for truck drivers working an 8 to 12 hour shift?

There are federal laws governing safety breaks, but no laws regarding meal breaks in Alaska.

Alaska’s truck drivers may be regulated by the regulations established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and implemented by the U.S. Department of Transportation, depending on circumstance. Alaska, however, has no laws requiring meal breaks for any employees who are more than 18 years old. That includes truck drivers.

The federal rules, called the DOT Hours of Service, mandate that no truck driver may drive for more than 11 hours without a break. They must also have 10 hours between shifts. Truckers must have a 34-hour rest period between one of their 7- or 8-day stretches to recover from cumulative fatigue. Drivers are not allowed to drive for more than 14 hours in a given shift. They may not drive more than 60 hours in a 7-day period or 70 hours in an 8-day stretch.

Changes to the Hours of Service rules in 2005 require truckers with in-cab sleeping berths to sleep in a single 8-hour stretch, with 2 additional off-duty hours. In a 2003 amendment, they were allowed to sleep in two 4-hour stretches, plus their 2 off-duty hours. That divided sleep period resulted in more fatal highway accidents.

Short haul truckers are those who, for example, work for landscapers or delivery services. They work within 150 miles of their point of origin and need not have a commercial driver’s license. They are also covered by the DOT regulations. They may work up to 16 hours, twice in a week. They must also, however, have 10 hours off between shifts. They need not keep driving logs, according to a 2005 change in the rules, but employers must keep accurate work records.

The regulations above are for drivers who haul “property” (freight). Drivers who transport passengers are subject to different rules.

The Hours of Service are meant to protect both the public and the truckers. Highway accidents are a chief cause of death on the job. Driver fatigue plays a central role in these deaths. JH