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Iowa Driver Break

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

The U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) implements a set of safety regulations for truckers called the “Hours of Service.” According to the DOT Hours of Service, truck drivers may not drive for more than 11 hours without a break. Iowa truckers may be covered by these regulations, depending on conditions. All of the rules discussed here are for drivers who haul freight (“property”), not passengers.

Iowa itself, however, has no law mandating meal breaks for a worker who is more than 18 years old, and that means truck drivers as well.

The federal trucker regulations have been set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. They were crafted specifically to protect the safety of both the public and of truckers on highways nationwide. Highway accidents are the primary cause of workplace death. Driver fatigue is a major contributor to those deaths.

The DOT regulations also forbid truckers from driving for more than 14 hours in any shift. They may not work more than 60 hours in a 7-day stretch or 70 hours in an 8-day period.

The Hours of Service rules for drivers with in-cab berths have also been updated. A 2003 amendment allowed them to sleep in 2 separate 4-hour shifts, with the additional 2 hours off, during a 24-hour period. That was changed in 2005 to require them to sleep like other drivers. They must now take a full 8-hour sleep break at a time, plus the other two off-hours.

Truck drivers must have 10 hours off between shifts, as well as a 34-hour rest period in order to recover from fatigue after pulling one of their 7-day or 8-day stretches.

The DOT rules cover so-called “short haul” truck drivers as well. These are the drivers who need not have a commercial driver’s license, like those who work for delivery companies or landscapers. Drivers who work within a 150-mile radius of their point of origin are considered short haul truckers. They may work as much as 16 hours, twice a week. They must have 10 hours off between shifts. JH