FMCSA extends HOS exemption for select hazmat drivers
Photo: kozmoat98/iStockphoto
Washington – Commercial motor vehicle drivers who haul certain hazardous materials will continue to be exempt from a 30-minute rest break rule until Aug. 20, 2020, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The exemption – extended for the Arlington, VA-based American Trucking Associations on behalf of some hazmat drivers – applies to those who haul hazardous loads and file security plans requiring drivers to be near their cargo at all times. Drivers are allowed to use 30 minutes or more of time spent attending to their cargo to meet the agency’s rest-break requirements.
Lawmakers mandated the change as part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, which required FMCSA to increase any hours-of-service exemption to five years from the date it took effect.
FMCSA initially granted the exemption in August 2015, and stated it would run through August 2017.
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