The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration quietly let lapse a national hours-of-service exemption in place for over two years, a move supported by both major trucking companies and truck safety advocates.
The exemption, first issued by FMCSA in March 2020 following the national emergency declared by President Trump in response to COVID-19, was extended and/or modified over 10 times. It gave truck drivers and carriers more flexibility to deliver shipments of livestock, medical supplies, vaccines, groceries and diesel fuel by waiving hours of service restrictions.
But the most recent extension, which was issued in September and expired on Saturday, has not been renewed.
“We evaluated the data coming back on who was using it, as well as the evaluation of the comments we received [on the last extension],” FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson told FreightWaves on Monday. “We also looked at where we are with COVID, and the guidance that has been coming out on that. All was behind the decision to let it expire.”
The change countered a decision on Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which renewed its determination that a public health emergency still exists.
But for FMCSA, Hutcheson said, “the tools we have [to provide regulatory relief] are limited to the authorities that we have, and based on the feedback we received we feel like we made the right call.”
FMCSA noted in its September extension that certain cargo being hauled under the exemption had been steadily declining. In addition, ending the exemption was supported by both the American Trucking Associations and the Truck Safety Coalition – two influential groups that rarely agree on issues that come before the agency.
“While ATA appreciated the emergency declaration relief throughout the early stages of the pandemic, most ATA members no longer feel continued relief is necessary,” the group stated in response to FMCSA’s request for comments on the most recent extension. “ATA members continue to voice concerns that continuing regulatory relief may be used to circumvent the hours-of-service regulations or foster abuse of the regulations.”
In asking FMCSA to deny another extension, the Truck Safety Coalition pointed to a 13% increase in deaths occurring from truck crashes between 2020 and 2021. “FMCSA must consider the deplorable state of roadway safety when considering continued regulatory relief, specifically, the unabated rise in truck crash fatalities,” the coalition stated.
Livestock and animal feed haulers, on the other hand, which have remained exempted from the hour of service rules throughout the national emergency, were some of the biggest supporters of continuing the exemption.
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“Agricultural shippers have been experiencing significant rail service challenges and emergency truck freight has been indispensable to helping meet demand,” Michael Seyfert, president and CEO of the National Grain and Feed Association, told FMCSA.
“Even though truck transportation capacity is tight, agricultural shippers have been forced to find extra truck freight to help fill the void where rail is unavailable or unreliable. While the trucking industry is doing what it can to help with the rail service challenges, there is a limited amount of trucking capacity,” Seyfert added.
Data measuring truck capacity and spot prices does not match up with NGFA’s assessment of the market, however, as truckload tender rejections – a barometer for capacity – recently hit a new low.
ThiNKleS
The truth is this: Most CMV operators are , professionals. Most are respectful, alert and extremely/overly safe. And although we have strict deadlines to get people their mini vans, SUV’s, sports cars and gas, sometimes we miss a load of sports cars, toilet paper and tissue. The tears will dry up.
If you want to make our roads “SAFER,” I want to state this, with confidence. The people who do not understand where the motor oil is or goes, how to check air tire pressure or read speed limit signs and are responsible for im guessing 83-85% of accidents imvolving trucks are the 4 wheelers. I’m not attacking them. For they know no better. They don’t understand we’re weighing 72 to 80,000 lbs. They pull directly in front of us, so fast, we barely have time to place our foot on the emergency peddle. They drive, with no worry at 90-100 mph. I rarely see one given a ticket. This is because the Highway Patrollers and USDOT’s are not there to make streets and highways safer, they’re looking for the money. I’m not pointing fingers to all, but when they have their before work briefings, they are told what to focus on. Because there was a trucking accident and people are hurt or dead. I think they need to look at the roots. I see accidents every single day. Rarely is there a truck involved.
To make sure the destination of the load is reachable to make on time deliveries,
most, but not all, CMV drivers follow FMCSA guidelines, along with interstate, state and local jurisdiction laws eyes. I’m really just complaining, bored on a 30 minute useless break, that they make law.
Although, if I could sit in a head mans chair for 1 month, to see exactly what he does to bring him to think for the people who actually do it…I would be in a neverending argument …Gotta go! It’s been 37 minutes
Cecilia Zalewski
Google paying a splendid earnings from domestic 6850USD a week, this is awesome a 12 months beyond i was laid-off in a totally horrible financial system. “w many thank you google every day for blessing the ones guidelines and presently it’s miles my responsibility to pay and percentage it with all and sundry ..
proper right here i started ……….. http://salaryapp1.blogspot.com/
Dorothy Mellott
ok you really know what we think of your trucker’s coalition,and American trucking association,there full of poop and have no clue on how hard they are making are jobs,speed limiters ,half hour break’s, what a bunch of Bull ticky,why don’t they get real with the drivers causing the problems,and leave the ones alone thats trying to follow all the bull crap they keep making the drivers put up with already,you want to make a different fine how about suspension if your speeding thru city’s, construction zones,in wrong lanes carrying overweight,or shut down carriers that have repeatedly had accidents,left and right want to really help start paying attention to what is really going on .
Alex D.
hos waver was a way to drive down rates.
Carlos_P
TRUTH is; they have the DATA that shows carriers USING the Exemption had a LOWER CRASH RATE … what’s that tell you !! #Clownshow2022 #FMCSA 🇨🇳🤡🇨🇳🤡🇨🇳🤡
Randall Nelson
Obviously the Truck Safety people are not aware that the drivers useing the exemption have the best safety record in the trucking industry!
Capt. John M. Pasko
They DON’T CARE. Follow the money.