The Supply Chain and Truck Driver Shortage
The truck driver shortage became a major factor behind supply chain issues, without much light peering through at the end of the tunnel.
NACS and other business groups have been raising these issues and concerns in Washington for some time, although it took a looming holiday season in 2021 for policymakers to pay attention.
Multiple times throughout the pandemic, NACS asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to issue a national hours of service waiver for truck drivers transporting fuel with success. In September 2021, FMCSA extended a previous emergency exemption to minimize the impact that the pandemic has had on supply and mitigate the driver shortage’s impact.
NACS continues a history of working to facilitate fuels transportation in times of emergency.
Hours of service waivers are necessary during times of duress and disruption. Our work to secure waivers goes back to 2005, when NACS worked with Congress to give authority to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to waive certain regulations affecting the transportation of fuels in times of emergency.
Today, theses waivers are vital for our industry to bring the fuel supply chain into operation as quickly and safely as possible. From stakeholder meetings and roundtable discussions, to securing regulatory waivers, to legislation that would allow commercial truck driving licenses for 18- to-21-year-old drivers, NACS continues to pursue solutions that help the industry tell our fueling story.