The Hours of Service (HOS) management is crucial in the construction sector with respect to safety and compliance issues. Although the rules on HOS are more likely to be referred to the transport and trucking markets, they can also be concerning construction workers who use commercial vehicles, especially when there is a need to transport equipment, material, or workers to the areas of construction.
As more attention to safety and regulatory compliance is being placed, it is more important than ever to know and enact appropriate means of tracking and monitoring HOS in construction operations.
This guide will comprehensively demonstrate what the HOS regulations are, who they apply to, the exemptions attainable to the industry and best practices in monitoring and maintaining compliance.
HOS regulations are put out by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in order to limit the number of hours the drivers of commercial vehicles can be working. The guidelines are meant to prevent fatigue on the road, reduce incidents of accidents caused by overworked drivers and improve safety on the roads.
To the construction industry, HOS usually refers to a driver who delivers construction equipment, materials, and people to and around the job sites.
According to FMCSA a commercial vehicle is any motor vehicle that is involved in the transportation of people or goods in interstate commerce as well as a vehicle that carries a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,001 pounds or more. These encompass trucks, trailers and other equipment used in construction.
The rules severely restrict the number of driving hours, mandatory rest time, and off-duty times to make certain that the drivers do not overwork and chances of accidents connected with fatigue are reduced as much as possible.
There are some fundamental rules covered by the FMCSA in its HOS regulations, which impact the construction activities. The major regulations which drivers of commercial vehicles should take into consideration are as:
Although the FMCSA regulations are liable to the person operating construction equipment, there are exemptions and considerations to be taken in construction related operations. The goal is to lessen the regulatory encumbrance, and the construction industry is distinctive in its operational requirements.
HOS tracking is not a mere legal requirement but a need regarding safety, efficiency and overall success of the project. Some of the reasons that HOS tracking is such an important tool in construction include the following:
There are new barriers in implementing HOS tracking in the construction industry that is not normally encountered in long-haul trucking:
Such obstacles notwithstanding, technology solutions such as Clue may lower the friction connected with ELD data incorporation and make reporting and other tasks easier and provide team members with a single dashboard that allows them to monitor compliance.
Even construction firms can suffer dire financial and operation consequences in case of noncompliance with FMCSA HOS requirements:
Effective HOS tracking and training will help avoid such problems before they happen and keep your projects going and protect your drivers.
Clue is a construction equipment management software that incorporates different elements of the fleet operations such as HOS compliance into a single pane of glass.
With the introduction of technology, it is easy to track HOS in construction activities. Modern tools and solutions allow construction businesses to optimize HOS compliance in order to build safety across their workforce.
The following are some of the best practices in such implementation of HOS tracking systems:
The Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) can be considered one of the best methods to monitor HOS compliance in the construction sector. ELDs automatically track the time the driver spends on the road, his or her work time, and the rest time. The devices are a great way of eradicating the chances of human error, and guaranteeing that logs are accurate and updated.
ELDs are particularly useful in construction activities involving drivers who move their equipment and materials into jobs as well as out of jobs. The FMCSA requires ELDs to be installed on drivers who have met specific qualifications (i.e. interstate drivers). Even in the case of construction companies that do not have to utilize ELDs, using such devices may be a good investment to stay safe and compliant.
Apart from ELDs, there is also the possibility of tracking locations, speeds and overall vehicle performance using GPS tracking and telematics technology. Such systems give the construction vehicles real-time information on the functioning of the vehicle thus assisting managers to determine whether there is a possible safety risk, when there is need to monitor the driving style, and whether the driver is following the scheduled stopovers and rest periods.
Telematics also assists with efficiency by offering useful information on fuel consumption, vehicle condition, and the service it requires.
The use of GPS and telematics systems alongside the HOS tracking instructions enables businesses to have a concise overview of both the activity status of the driver as well as the performance of the vehicles in a single platform so that they can effectively track the whole fleet.
Hours of Service Compliance Software can be another useful solution for construction businesses. These software solutions can provide resources to manage HOS compliance by tracking HOS compliance, maintaining driver logs, and reporting everything to managers in an easily reviewed way. The software can even provide alerts while drivers approach, or exceed, their legal driving limits so any corrective measures can occur.
Another advantage of Hours of Service Compliance Software is that it can interface or integrate software, providing a dashboard that summarizes HOS and operational data. If all data can be managed in one, easy to view source, work and monitor will be easier for fleet managers.
Monitoring the broad nature of the fleets performance include synergy in tracking driver safety, vehicle preventative maintenance schedules, and compliance when monitoring the safe driving behavior of individuals.
It is critical that the drivers and staff in your company are trained about HOS regulations and their implications for any and all on-road driving to help ensure proper HOS compliance.
Training should include driver education on the proper use of ELDs, GPS, and telematic systems as well as adherence to rest breaks and HOS limits for their areas of defined responsibility (i.e., for individual drivers, workers, and transport units, and their environments).
Monitoring HOS logs is a very important requirement of compliance.
Managers should establish and maintain a consistent schedule for routine and regular reviews of driver's logs that will help reveal which drivers are in violation of HOS limits, and which ones are taking the rest breaks that are required.
The earlier violations are revealed, the earlier managers can plan to deal with the violation before it becomes a bigger issue.
HOS tracking is serious business when it comes to construction work, particularly when that work involves moving, delivering, transporting and handling equipment/materials to and from jobsites.
Through knowledge of the HOS regulation, leveraging today’s technology including ELDs, GPS systems, telematics best practices to ensure compliance, construction firms can continue to keep operations running efficiently and safely, while meeting regulations.
Construction companies can use fleet management software to help eliminate fatigued drivers, and avoid non-compliance with the consequence of driver fatigue. As more HOS regulations continue to develop and change, the importance of being a part of that evolution for construction managers is clear. However, it will also benefit construction companies in their end result of completing work in a safe and compliant manner.