Learn how the federal short-haul exception works: the 150 air-mile radius, 14-hour return, required time records, limits that still apply and what to do when a trip no longer qualifies.
What the short-haul exception actually changes
The federal short-haul exception in 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1) can relieve a qualifying driver from the record-of-duty-status and supporting-document requirements in sections 395.8 and 395.11. It is a recordkeeping exception, not permission to work without limits. The driver and motor carrier must satisfy every condition for the day, and the carrier must keep the substitute time records required by the rule.
This guide focuses on property-carrying CDL operations
The same paragraph also covers passenger-carrying drivers, but their off-duty requirement differs. This guide centers on property-carrying commercial motor vehicles, for which the normal federal framework includes 10 consecutive hours off duty, an 11-hour driving limit, a 14-consecutive-hour driving window and applicable 60- or 70-hour limits. Intrastate rules or a different federal exception may change the analysis.
The radius is 150 air miles, not road miles
A qualifying driver must operate within a 150 air-mile radius of the normal work reporting location. The regulation states that 150 air miles equal 172.6 statute miles. The radius is a straight-line geographic boundary around the reporting location; it is not 150 miles on the odometer, 150 routed highway miles or 150 miles from the last stop.
Map the boundary before dispatch
Create a defensible radius from the correct normal work reporting location and compare every planned pickup, delivery, yard, fuel stop and detour against it. A route can accumulate far more than 172.6 road miles and still remain inside the circle, while a shorter routed trip can cross the boundary. Consumer navigation estimates are useful for routing but do not establish the regulatory radius.
Identify the normal work reporting location correctly
The short-haul radius is measured from the location where the driver normally reports for work, not from the truck's current position, the first customer, the carrier's corporate headquarters or a convenient midpoint. Carriers using more than one terminal should document which location applies to each driver and avoid switching the anchor after a trip has already crossed the limit.
Return and release must both occur within 14 hours
Except for a driver-salesperson, the driver must return to the work reporting location and be released from work within 14 consecutive hours. Merely reaching the yard before the deadline does not qualify if fueling, unloading, inspection, paperwork or another duty keeps the driver working past the 14th hour. The clock is consecutive, so ordinary off-duty breaks during the day do not move the deadline.
Property-carrying drivers still need 10 consecutive hours off
Each qualifying 14-hour duty period for a property-carrying driver must be separated by at least 10 consecutive hours off duty. A passenger-carrying driver using the provision needs at least eight consecutive hours off duty. A schedule that meets the radius and return conditions but starts after insufficient rest does not satisfy the exception.
The 11-hour driving limit still applies
For a property-carrying driver, the exception does not erase the 11-hour maximum driving time inside the 14-hour window. Loading, inspections, fueling and waiting while on duty can consume the window without adding driving time. Dispatch should track both elapsed duty time and accumulated driving rather than assuming every local route has 14 usable driving hours.
The 60- and 70-hour limits still apply
Short-haul on-duty hours count toward the applicable 60-hour in seven days or 70-hour in eight days limit. A driver can satisfy the daily radius and return conditions yet have no legal driving time left under the rolling cycle. The carrier's timekeeping system must support a reliable recap, especially when a driver works for more than one motor carrier.
Qualifying short-haul drivers do not need the federal 30-minute break
Section 395.3(a)(3)(ii) excludes drivers who qualify for either short-haul exception from the federal 30-minute interruption requirement after eight cumulative driving hours. That does not prohibit rest, meal or safety breaks, override labor rules or justify driving while fatigued. If the driver does not qualify for the exception that day, the ordinary break rule may apply.
The carrier must keep four categories of time data
For each qualifying day, the carrier must maintain accurate and true records showing when the driver reported for duty, the total on-duty hours, and when the driver was released from duty. For a driver used for the first time or intermittently, the carrier must also have the total time for the preceding seven days required by section 395.8(j)(2).
Keep short-haul time records for six months
The carrier must retain the required short-haul time records for six months. A payroll punch by itself may not show every required element, and a dispatch timestamp may show movement without proving release from all work. Build one consistent record that can be produced during an investigation and reconciled with trips, vehicle assignments, payroll and other business records.
The exception removes ordinary RODS and supporting-document duties only while qualified
A driver who meets every condition is exempt from sections 395.8 and 395.11 for that operation. The carrier may still collect fuel receipts, dispatch messages, GPS data or other records for business purposes. Those documents should not contradict the time record, and their existence does not replace the required report, total on-duty hours, release time and prior-seven-day information.
Know what happens when one condition is broken
If the driver exceeds the radius, fails to return and be released within 14 consecutive hours or otherwise misses a condition, the short-haul recordkeeping exception no longer covers that day. The driver must complete the record of duty status required for the operation. Do not wait until the end of the shift to decide how the day will be documented; the record must remain current and accurate.
Occasional RODS days do not always trigger an ELD
Section 395.8 allows manual records instead of an ELD when a driver operates in a manner requiring a record of duty status on no more than eight days within any rolling 30-day period. The count is not eight trips, calendar months or expected exceptions. Once the driver requires RODS on more than eight days in the rolling window, the ordinary ELD requirement may apply unless another specific exception fits.
Use a threshold alert instead of relying on memory
Dispatch software or a manual control should warn before a truck approaches the radius or the driver's 14-hour release deadline. The alert should identify the reporting-location anchor, projected return time, remaining driving and cycle hours, and whether the driver has already used RODS days in the rolling 30-day window. A warning is useful only if the driver can safely stop, reroute or update the record before a violation occurs.
Do not confuse this rule with the non-CDL short-haul exception
Section 395.1(e)(2) is a separate provision for certain property-carrying CMVs that do not require a CDL. It has different daily limits, including limited use of a 16th hour. A CDL driver or dispatcher should not borrow the non-CDL schedule merely because the route is local. Identify the vehicle, license requirement and exact paragraph before applying an exception.
The separate 16-hour exception has different conditions
Section 395.1(o) can extend the 14-hour driving window to 16 hours for a qualifying property-carrying driver on a limited basis after specified returns to the normal reporting location. It does not expand the 11-hour driving limit and is not the same as the short-haul exception. Document each condition before using it instead of treating two extra hours as a routine local-driver allowance.
A practical short-haul compliance checklist
Before dispatch, confirm the reporting-location anchor, radius, route, prior rest, current cycle hours and expected release time. During the day, record report time and all on-duty work, watch the boundary and deadline, and plan how RODS will be created if the trip changes. At release, capture total on-duty hours and retain the record for six months. Audit the time record against trips and payroll rather than assuming a local schedule is automatically exempt.
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Official sources
49 CFR 395.1(e): Federal short-haul operations49 CFR 395.3: Property-carrying driver limits49 CFR 395.8: Records of duty status and ELD exceptionsCDL Truck Pro provides educational information. Confirm licensing, safety, tax, and regulatory requirements through current official sources and qualified professionals.