A pair of exemption requests have been submitted to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. One relates to the minimum interstate driving age, and the other involves hours-of-service regulations.
In a notice that was published in the Federal Register on Monday, May 12, U.S. Custom Harvesters Inc. requested a renewal of an exemption that allows its under-21 drivers to work in multiple states. In a separate notice published on the same day, Northern Clearing Inc. requested an exemption that would allow its drivers to operate under emergency declaration standards to provide continued restoration, clean up and reconstruction services in North Carolina.
U.S. Custom Harvesters
Current regulations require interstate CDL holders to be at least 21, while 18 is the minimum age for intrastate drivers. Intrastate-only drivers have a “K” restriction marked on their CDLs.
FMCSA already provides an exception to the minimum age requirements for interstate custom harvester drivers, who travel from state to state helping farmers cut crops. However, states may include an intrastate-only restriction on the license. U.S. Custom Harvesters is asking the agency to, again, provide relief from this restriction.
The agency previously granted the company a two-year provisional exemption that runs through Oct. 3.
In its exemption application, U.S. Custom Harvesters told FMCSA that even though its under-21 drivers are allowed to operate in multiple states, they are frequently cited during roadside inspections because of the presence of the “K” restriction on their licenses. The company asked FMCSA to renew the exemption so that law enforcement officers will know that the driver is working in custom harvester operations.
The public will have 30 days to comment on the exemption request. To make a comment, go to Regulations.gov and enter Docket No. FMCSA-2017-0133.
Northern Clearing
As part of recovery efforts from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, FMCSA issued a regional emergency declaration in North Carolina from Oct. 4 through Dec. 26, 2024. The declaration granted regulatory relief for commercial motor vehicle operations providing direct assistance to the emergency.
However, Northern Clearing said the relief “does not cover long-term infrastructure rehabilitation once the immediate threat has passed.”
Under the requested exemption, Northern Clearing would follow the conditions outlined in Emergency Declaration No. 2024-008 and align its hours-of-service practices with the “utility service vehicle” exemption in 49 CFR 395.1(n).
The public will have 30 days to comment on the exemption request. To make a comment, go to Regulations.gov and enter Docket No. FMCSA-2025-0093. LL
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