Explore the sections in this guide
The short answer
No. The 150-air-mile exception in §395.1(e)(1) has conditions. The driver stays within the radius of the normal reporting location, returns there, and is released within 14 consecutive hours. Property-carrying drivers need at least 10 consecutive hours off between duty periods.
The carrier keeps accurate time records for six months, including reporting time, release time, total on-duty hours, and required preceding-seven-day information for first-time or intermittent drivers. An air-mile radius is not road mileage. Other short-haul provisions have different conditions.
A practical example
A driver stays near Houston but returns after the 14-hour limit. Calling the job “local” does not establish eligibility for that day.
Your next steps
- Identify which exception is being used.
- Check each day against every condition.
- Plan how records are handled when the conditions are not met.
Qualifying for the exception requires more than staying nearby
| Record or decision | What it addresses | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting location | The normal reporting location | Use the location relevant to the applicable rule. |
| Radius | 150 air-mile radius for §395.1(e)(1) | Do not substitute driving mileage. |
| Return and release | Required return and release within the limit | Record actual times. |
| Time records | Required daily time information | Verify the content, not only payroll totals. |
A local route can stop qualifying when the day changes
A driver can start with an eligible assignment and later receive a stop that extends the route or duty period. Dispatch should reassess the conditions when the assignment changes. The exception is not a permanent driver classification. Retain actual times and identify the correct recording method for a nonqualifying day.
Example: the payroll report contains only a total
The payroll system shows ten paid hours but does not show when the driver reported or was released. That total may be useful, but it does not by itself demonstrate all the time-record information the exception requires. Check whether another accurate record supplies the missing information and whether records can be connected to the driver and date.
The ELD question is a separate check
When a driver needs a record of duty status on a nonqualifying day, evaluate §395.8 and its applicable exceptions. Its limited paper-record provision uses a rolling 30-day period, not an assumption that every new calendar month resets the count. Track the actual days requiring a duty-status record and confirm the method before another assignment.
The exception changes records, not every driving limit
For the common property-carrying §395.1(e)(1) exception, qualifying work stays within 150 air miles, returns to the reporting location, and ends within 14 hours, with the required ten consecutive hours off duty. The general driving and cycle limits still apply. Keep the required time records for six months. For first-time or intermittent use, the record also includes total on-duty time for the preceding seven days.
A day outside the exception calls for the applicable record of duty status. That does not automatically require an ELD: the exception for drivers needing paper records on no more than eight days in a rolling 30-day period may apply. Count those days accurately. The separate non-CDL property-carrying provision in §395.1(e)(2) has different conditions; do not apply this common 14-hour summary to every short-haul category.
Track every condition throughout the workday
The common 150-air-mile exception in §395.1(e)(1) depends on the operating radius, reporting location, return and release within fourteen consecutive hours, and the required off-duty period. A local customer list alone does not establish eligibility. Confirm the conditions for the actual day and keep the required time records. Other short-haul provisions have different conditions, so identify the provision you are using.
Example: a detention delay changes the paperwork obligation
A driver normally returns and is released within fourteen hours, but a customer delay pushes the day beyond that condition. Reevaluate the exception and the required duty-status record for that day. The delay does not automatically authorize extra driving. Check the underlying HOS limits separately. The office should preserve the actual reporting and release times and document why the usual short-haul process did not apply.
Official source
Confirm applicability, exceptions, and current requirements for your operation. This is a focused summary.
