# 2026-12672: Railroads Get Four-Month Pass on Driver Hour Rules

2026-12672, Hours of Service of Drivers: Association of American Railroads and American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association; Application for Exemption Renewal, is a Federal Register notice from Transportation Department, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published 2026-06-24, effective 2026-06-19; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12672
- As of: 2026-07-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-12672
- Title: Hours of Service of Drivers: Association of American Railroads and American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association; Application for Exemption Renewal
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Transportation Department; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Citation: 91 FR 38075
- Published: 2026-06-24
- Effective: 2026-06-19
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-07-01

## In one line

Railroads Get Four-Month Pass on Driver Hour Rules

## Summary

The FMCSA is giving railroads a temporary 4-month pass to ignore some strict driving hour limits so their workers can handle unexpected events outside normal shifts. This affects railroad employees who drive and helps keep trains running smoothly without breaking the usual 14-hour and weekly hour rules. The exemption starts June 19, 2026, and costs or long delays are avoided while the FMCSA reviews a longer 5-year renewal request.

## Abstract

FMCSA announces its decision to renew provisionally for four months the exemption granted to the Association of American Railroads and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association and member railroads (the Associations) from the prohibitions against driving after the 14th hour from the beginning of the work shift (the 14-hour rule) and against driving after accumulating 60 hours of on- duty time within 7 consecutive days, or 70 hours of on-duty time within 8 consecutive days (the 60-hour/70-hour rule). The exemption will enable the employees of the Associations subject to the hours-of- service (HOS) rules to respond to unplanned events that occur outside of, or extend beyond, an employee's normal work hours. The Associations are seeking a five-year renewal of this exemption. FMCSA has requested additional information from the Associations and will review the application further before issuing a final decision on the request.

## Effects PRIA read

- Four‑Month HOS Exemption for Railroad Drivers: mixed, medium. From June 19, 2026 through October 19, 2026, FMCSA provisionally renews an exemption allowing employees of member railroads driving commercial motor vehicles to respond to unplanned events. Under the exemption the 14‑hour limit may be extended up to 17 hours, driving time remains capped at 11 hours…
- Exemption Applies Only to Specified Unplanned Events: benefit, medium. The exemption only applies when railroad employees are driving to the site of specified unplanned events, including derailments, rail failures or dangerous track conditions, track occupancy lights, propulsion system disruptions, bridge strikes, disabled vehicles on tracks, train collisions, weather…
- Mandatory Fatigue Training Before Operating Under Exemption: cost, low. Drivers must complete the North American Fatigue Management Program (NAFMP) Driver Education Module 3 and the Driver Sleep Disorders and Management Module 7 before operating under the exemption; railroads may direct drivers to the Federal Railroad Administration's "Railroaders' Guide to Healthy Sle…

## Related documents

- [2026-08144](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08144): Administrative Rulemaking, Guidance, and Enforcement Procedures, 2026-04-27
- [2026-20734](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20734): Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Application for Exemption From Aurora Operations, Inc (USDOT #341156), 2026-10-09
- [2026-20649](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20649): Qualification of Drivers; Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance; Application for Exemption, 2026-10-08
- [2026-20524](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20524): Agency Information Collection Activities; New Information Collection: Hours of Service of Drivers; Pilot Program To Allow Commercial Driver…, 2026-10-07
- [2026-20476](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20476): Agency Information Collection Activities; New Information Collection: Hours of Service of Drivers: Pilot Program To Allow Commercial Driver…, 2026-10-06
- [2026-20325](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20325): Clarification to the Applicability of Emergency Exemptions; Response to Petitions for Reconsideration, 2026-10-05

## Sources
- [2026-12672 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/24/2026-12672/hours-of-service-of-drivers-association-of-american-railroads-and-american-short-line-and-regional)
- [2026-12672 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-06-24/pdf/2026-12672.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-12671, Initiation of Section 301 Investigation; Hearing; and Request for Public Commen…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12671)
- [Next: 2026-12675, Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review: Edith Nourse Rogers ST…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12675)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12672 (as of 2026-07-01).