In an effort to answer some of the many questions that oftentimes go along with regulatory changes, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has created an online tool for carriers and drivers to help them better understand the recent changes to the hours-of-service regulations.

The FMCSA’s Educational Tool for Hours of Service, or ETHOS, offers updated and current information on revised hours-of-service regulations that went into effect Sept. 29. Drivers and carriers can enter their duty statuses into the web-based log, and ETHOS will identify where potential violations of the following rules may have occurred, including:

• 11-hour driving limit (property) or 10-hour driving limit (passenger)

• 14-hour driving window (property) or 15-hour on-duty limit (passenger)

• 30-minute break (property)

• Sleeper berth provision

FMCSA notes on the website that the 60/70-hour limit regulations, which have not changed under the new rules, are not covered by ETHOS.