ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Multiple states affected by Hurricane Ida, which swept up from the Gulf of Mexico through the upper South and Northeast last week, have issued emergency declarations and waivers of hours-of-service rules for truck drivers.
Separately, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) on Friday clarified that the revised national hours-of-service waiver extension the agency issued last week due to the COVID-19 pandemic applies to narrow emergency conditions and not routine deliveries of goods, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and ethyl alcohol.
As previously reported by NACS Daily, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) last week extended an emergency exemption and associated regulatory relief for U.S. motor carriers, including fuel haulers, citing rising COVID-19 cases and the continued pandemic-related state of emergency in the United States.
The updated waiver said deliveries covered under the HOS exemption must be “of qualifying commodities” and “incident to the immediate restoration of those essential supplies.”
Meanwhile, Ida-related state waivers include:
Ahead of the storm, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on August 26 declared a state of emergency. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency for Mississippi on August 28, and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency on on August 28 ahead of the storm.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp last week suspended enforcement of federal limits on hours of service for commercial vehicle operators in Georgia, home to deepwater ports and inland barge terminals. He also loosened weight restrictions for trucks on Georgia highways. Gov. Kemp updated his executive order declaring a COVID-19 state of emergency. The adjusted trucking rules will remain in effect for the next 30 days, or until the state of emergency is lifted, whichever is shorter.
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