The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking comments from the public regarding several exemption requests. The exemption requests involve regulations for hours of service, CDL testing and employment applications.
Seasonal exemption
The National Propane Gas Association asked FMCSA for an hours-of-service exemption that would last from Dec. 15 to March 15 each year. Under the seasonal exemption, drivers would be allowed to operate up to 12 hours per day and be on duty up to 15 hours per day without weekly limits. Additionally, the group asked to replace the 34-hour restart with a 24-hour restart.
Current regulations limit truck drivers to 11 hours of driving during a period of 14 consecutive hours following 10 consecutive hours off duty.
According to the NPGA, the seasonal exemption would allow the propane industry to better prepare for and respond to emergencies during the winter.
“The winter of 2024-2025 was the most disruptive in 11 years,” NPGA wrote in its exemption application. “Extreme cold snaps, polar vortexes, ice storms and other winter weather affected significant areas of the United States between early January and late March. Major significant pipelines went on allocation, restricting the capacity to get fuel to homes. Storage levels close to affected communities ran empty. Roads remained unpassable for days, and states restricted all commercial driving on roads … As a result of these needs, long- and short-haul drivers often reach the maximum operating limits … within four days.”
FMCSA is accepting comments on the exemption request through July 31. To submit a comment, click here or go to Regulations.gov and enter Docket No. FMCSA-2025-0125.
Ag exemption
Protein Transport, a chicken hauler based in Indiana, asked FMCSA to allow its drivers to operate under the agricultural operations in the hours-of-service regulations. The provision provides regulatory relief from the requirements for drivers transporting certain agricultural products within a 150 air-mile radius.
Citing the avian flu and other supply chain issues, the company said it needs the exemption because it has encountered difficulties securing and retaining the required number of truck drivers to maintain operations.
Protein Transport contends that the exemption would not compromise safety, because it would “check and monitor” its power units every 10,000 miles and perform an oil change every 15,000 miles. In addition, the carrier said that its drivers have been instructed to inform management when they need to take a break for any reason.
FMCSA is accepting comments on the exemption request through July 31. To submit a comment, click here or go to Regulations.gov and enter Docket No. FMCSA-2025-0103.
Island exemption
The Massachusetts Department of State Police asked FMCSA to allow modified CDL skills test exams on the island of Martha’s Vineyard.
Martha’s Vineyard does not have the infrastructure for prospective drivers to demonstrate the two sets of lane changes required by the skills test, the state police said.
Currently, applicants are required to demonstrate the ability to signal appropriately when changing direction in traffic and to choose a safe gap for changing lanes, passing other vehicles and crossing or entering traffic.
According to the state police, there are no reasonable substitutions for lane change maneuvers on the island.
FMCSA is accepting comments on the exemption request through July 31. To submit a comment, click here or go to Regulations.gov and enter Docket No. FMCSA-2025-0101.
Application exemption
Cloud Trucks wants FMCSA to exempt the Dallas-based motor carrier from certain requirements involving employment applications.
Specifically, CloudTrucks seeks an exemption from the requirement to collect the following information from prospective drivers: list of employers’ names, addresses, dates of employment, reason for leaving, nature of the position the driver held and if the driver was subject to the alcohol and controlled substances testing requirements.
Instead, CloudTrucks proposes using its own verification process that consists of cross-referencing national databases to include HireRight’s Drive-A-Check (DAC) report and FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, Pre-employment Screening Program and Commercial Driver’s License Information System.
The company contends the exemption would allow the recruiting of qualified drivers at a faster pace, would decrease the administrative workload and would enhance highway safety by “relying on credible federal databases instead of unproductive paper processes.”
FMCSA is accepting comments on the exemption request through July 31. To submit a comment, click here or go to Regulations.gov and enter Docket No. FMCSA-2025-0128. LL
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