What changed
These HOS exceptions are written into 49 CFR §395.1 and stay in force until FMCSA amends the regulation - they are not renewed each year. The short-haul exception under 49 CFR §395.1(e)(1) covers drivers operating within a 150-air-mile radius (172.6 statute miles) of their normal work-reporting location who return to that location and are released from work within 14 consecutive hours.
Livestock haulers are covered by the agricultural exemption in §395.1(k)(4) (within a 150-air-mile radius of the livestock's final destination) and by §395.1(v), which removes the 30-minute rest-break requirement while livestock are on the vehicle. The agricultural exemption in §395.1(k) applies during planting and harvesting periods as determined by each State.
Short-haul rule details
Qualifying drivers are exempt from the record-of-duty-status and supporting-document rules (§§395.8 and 395.11), so no ELD log is needed. The driver still must observe the 11-hour driving limit and the 10-hour off-duty requirement, and the carrier must keep accurate time records - time reporting for duty, total on-duty hours, and time released each day - for 6 months (§395.1(e)(1)(iv)).
A driver who goes beyond the 150-air-mile radius or the 14-hour release on a given day must complete a record of duty status for that day. A carrier may use paper logs instead of an ELD for a driver who needs a record of duty status on no more than 8 days in any 30-day period (§395.8(a)(1)(ii)(A)(1)); beyond that, an ELD is required. Carriers running mixed short-haul / long-haul operations should configure the ELD to capture both modes correctly.
Agricultural exemption nuance
§395.1(k) exempts drivers from the Part 395 HOS rules during State-designated planting and harvesting periods when they haul agricultural commodities from the source to a location within a 150-air-mile radius of the source, or farm supplies within 150 air-miles of the distribution point. "Agricultural commodity" is defined in §395.2.
Once the load travels beyond the 150-mile radius, full HOS rules apply. Drivers running mixed loads (some agricultural, some non-agricultural) need to track which segment they're in.
What to do next
Carriers operating short-haul should confirm their ELDs are configured to allow short-haul exempt status when the driver qualifies. Our /guides/dot-compliance-handbook page covers HOS framework in detail.
Source: 49 CFR 395.1: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-395.1