Yes. On June 4, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (case No. 20-70706) upheld the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s determination that the federal hours-of-service regulations preempt California’s meal-and-rest-break (MRB) rules as applied to drivers of passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles. This extends to passenger carriers the same preemption the Ninth Circuit had already confirmed for property-carrying carriers in 2021.
In practical terms, a carrier operating passenger-carrying CMVs in California follows the federal hours-of-service break requirements for those drivers and is not separately bound by California’s MRB requirements for them. This is a confirmation of existing federal preemption, not a new obligation, so covered carriers do not need to change anything they are already doing under the federal rules.
As always, confirm your specific situation with FMCSA or qualified counsel before relying on this.