150 Air-Mile Short-Haul Exemption and the 16-Hour Rule (2026)

Quick Answer

The short-haul exemption in 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1) lets a driver skip the logbook and ELD on any day they stay within 150 air miles (172.6 statute miles) of their normal work reporting location, return there and are released within 14 hours, and get 10 hours off (property carriers). The carrier keeps 6 months of time records instead. Days outside those limits need a log.

Key Takeaways

• The radius is 150 air miles, which the regulation itself converts to 172.6 statute miles, measured in a straight line, not by road.
• CDL drivers must be released within 14 consecutive hours of coming on duty. The exemption is earned or lost one day at a time.
• The carrier must keep time records for 6 months: time on duty, time released, and total hours on duty each day.
• The 16-hour rule in 395.1(o) lets a property-carrying driver stretch one duty day to 16 hours, generally once per 7 days, if they returned to the same reporting location for the previous five duty tours.
• A day outside the exemption needs a record of duty status. Paper is allowed only if logs are required on 8 or fewer days in any 30-day period; beyond that, you need an ELD.
• Short-haul drivers skip the 30-minute break, but the 11-hour driving limit and 60/70-hour limits still apply.

What is the 150 air-mile short-haul exemption?

It is an exception to the record of duty status (RODS) and supporting-document rules, 395.8 and 395.11. If you qualify on a given day, you don't keep a log that day, so the ELD mandate doesn't apply to that day either. Our ELD exemptions guide covers the other ways out of the mandate.

A CDL driver qualifies on a given day when all of these are true:

1. You operate within a 150 air-mile radius (172.6 statute miles) of your normal work reporting location.
2. You return to that location and are released from work within 14 consecutive hours. Driver-salespersons are excused from the return requirement.
3. You had at least 10 consecutive hours off duty before the shift (8 hours for passenger-carrying drivers).
4. Your carrier keeps accurate time records for the day and retains them for 6 months.

FMCSA has also said the start and end location can change from shift to shift, as long as each shift starts and ends at the same place (FMCSA HOS presentation).

Is the short-haul exemption 100 miles or 150 miles?

It's 150 air miles. FMCSA's 2020 hours of service final rule (85 FR 33396, effective September 29, 2020) widened the radius from 100 to 150 air miles and lengthened the short-haul duty day from 12 to 14 hours. Older articles that still say "100 air-mile exemption" or "12 hours" describe the rule before September 2020.

That rule did not change the 11-hour driving limit, the 14-hour window for drivers who keep logs, or the 60/70-hour limits. Those are covered in our hours of service guide.

How do you measure 150 air miles?

An air mile is a nautical mile. The regulation says 150 air miles equals 172.6 statute miles, so 1 air mile is about 1.15 regular miles. The radius is a straight line from your reporting location, the way a plane flies, not the road miles on your odometer.

Road miles almost always run longer than the straight-line distance. So a customer 190 road miles away can still be inside the radius if the straight-line distance is under 172.6 statute miles.

Worked example: your yard is the reporting location and you have two stops this week.

To check a stop, use the straight-line "measure distance" tool in any mapping app, not driving directions. If you only have road miles, a stop under 172.6 road miles is always inside, because the straight line can't be longer than the road.

The clock matters as much as the map. On duty at 6:00 AM and released at the yard at 7:30 PM is 13.5 hours, so Stop A still qualifies. Released at 8:15 PM, it's 14.25 hours and the day needs a log.

What time records do short-haul drivers need?

No RODS doesn't mean no records. Under 395.1(e)(1)(iv) the motor carrier must keep, for 6 months, accurate and true time records showing:

• The time the driver reports for duty each day
• The total number of hours on duty each day
• The time the driver is released from duty each day
• For a driver used for the first time or intermittently, the total time on duty for the preceding 7 days, per 395.8(j)(2)

If you're a one-truck owner-operator with your own authority, you are the carrier, so these records are yours to keep.

What is the 16-hour rule?

The 16-hour rule is the exception in 395.1(o). It lets a property-carrying driver drive after the 14th hour on duty, once, if all three conditions are met:

1. For the previous five duty tours, you returned to your normal work reporting location and were released there.
2. You return to that location and are released within 16 hours of coming on duty after 10 consecutive hours off.
3. You haven't used the exception in the previous 6 consecutive days, unless a 34-hour restart started a new 7- or 8-day period.

The 16-hour rule only lifts the 14-hour limit in 395.3(a)(2). The 11-hour driving limit and the 60/70-hour limits still apply.

It also doesn't stack with short-haul. The short-haul exemption requires release within 14 hours, so a 16-hour day is a log day. That means the 30-minute break applies too, and the day counts toward the 8-in-30 total.

Is there a separate rule for non-CDL trucks?

Yes. Section 395.1(e)(2) covers property-carrying vehicles that don't require a CDL, such as many box trucks. The driver must stay within 150 air miles and return to the reporting location at the end of each duty tour. The time limit works differently:

• No driving after the 14th hour on duty on 5 days of any 7 consecutive days.
• No driving after the 16th hour on duty on 2 days of any 7 consecutive days.

The same 6-month time records apply. Non-CDL short-haul drivers can't also use the CDL short-haul exception, the sleeper berth provision or the 395.1(o) 16-hour exception. Both short-haul exceptions excuse the driver from the 30-minute break.

Do short-haul drivers need an ELD?

Not on days they qualify. The ELD question comes up on the days they don't. FMCSA's guidance is that when a short-haul driver "drives too far" or "works too many hours," that day needs a regular log (FMCSA HOS presentation).

Under 395.8(a)(1)(ii)(A)(1), a driver can keep that log on paper only if logs are required on no more than 8 days within any 30-day period. The period is any 30 days, so count back from today, not from the 1st of the month. On the 9th log day in 30, the driver needs an ELD, unless another exception applies, such as a pre-2000 vehicle.

FMCSA's 2020 rule said it plainly: drivers who sometimes exceed the limits can use paper logs for up to 8 days in any 30, or an ELD for more, and choosing between the two is a business decision.

How does Lucid ELD help fleets that are sometimes inside and sometimes outside the radius?

The hard part for mixed fleets is the day a short local run turns into a long one. If a truck already has an FMCSA-registered ELD like Lucid ELD, the log for that day is recorded automatically. Nobody has to fill in a paper grid from memory or count paper-log days.

Lucid's real-time GPS keeps a full trip history for each truck, so you can see how far a truck actually went from the yard on a given day. That makes it easier to decide whether the day was inside the radius. The fleet dashboard shows every truck in one place, and the driver app's one-tap DOT inspection mode helps at roadside on log days.

Fleets that regularly go past 8 log days in 30 need an ELD anyway. Lucid's Standard plan has a listed price of $60 per truck/month on a monthly plan or $50 on a 12-month plan, as of October 2026. Compare plans on the Lucid ELD pricing page.

Need an FMCSA-registered ELD for your trucks? See Lucid ELD plans

Educational content, not legal advice. Confirm requirements against current FMCSA regulations and your state's rules.

FAQ

Does the short-haul exemption exempt me from hours of service?

No. It removes the log and the 30-minute break, but you still need 10 hours off before the shift. The 11-hour driving limit and the 60- or 70-hour limits also still apply.

Is the 14-hour short-haul limit counted from when I start driving?

No. It runs from when you come on duty, including pre-trip, loading and waiting time. You must be back at the reporting location and released within 14 consecutive hours of that start.

Can I use the 16-hour rule every day?

No. Under 395.1(o) you can't have used it in the previous 6 consecutive days, unless a 34-hour restart started a new period. You also must have been released at your reporting location for the previous five duty tours.

Does the 8-day paper log limit reset each month?

No. The rule says "any 30-day period," so it rolls. Count log days in the 30 days ending today, not since the 1st of the month.

If I go 5 miles past the radius once, do I lose the exemption for the month?

No. You lose it for that day only. Keep a log for that day, and the next day you can qualify again if you meet every condition.