A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regional emergency for much of the country has been extended through Feb. 15.
FMCSA’s declaration was issued on Jan. 10 in response to severe winter storms and extremely low temperatures affecting fuel demand.
All 48 states in the continental U.S. as well as Washington, D.C. are covered by this order that gives relief from maximum driving time for motor carriers and drivers providing direct assistance in the designated area. The transportation of heating fuel, propane, natural gas, heating oil, gasoline and diesel fuel in the area are covered by this order.
Fuel prices are updated daily on this Land Line resources page.
Direct assistance means transportation and other relief services provided by a motor carrier or its driver incident to the immediate restoration of essential supplies or services. It does not include transportation related to long-term rehabilitation of damaged physical infrastructure after the initial threat to life and property has passed. Routine commercial deliveries, including mixed loads with a nominal quantity of qualifying emergency relief, are not eligible for the relief granted by the emergency order.
Per FMCSA, motor carriers or drivers with an out-of-service order are not eligible to operate under this order until they have met the applicable conditions.
Upon termination of emergency relief efforts, the motor carrier and driver are subject to the requirements of maximum driving time while operating commercial motor vehicles, except that a driver may return empty to the motor carrier’s terminal or the driver’s normal work-reporting location.
When a driver is moving from emergency relief efforts to normal operations, a 10-hour break is required when the total time a driver is engaged in emergency relief efforts, or in a combination of emergency relief and normal operations, equals or exceeds 14 hours.
Additional relief for motor carriers or drivers may be granted by states. As of Tuesday, Jan. 28, nine states had emergency declarations in effect. LL
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