The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will again extend its emergency declaration to provide regulatory relief for truck drivers providing direct assistance in relief efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
FMCSA’s emergency declaration, which provides relief from hours-of-service regulations for motor carriers and commercial motor vehicle drivers, was set to expire August 31. The extension will run through November 30. The declaration applies to all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
FMCSA is continuing the exemption and associated regulatory relief in accordance with 49 CFR § 390.25, because the presidentially declared emergency remains in place and because, although the number of COVID-19 cases began to decline in the U.S. following widespread introduction of vaccinations, the delta variant and lagging vaccination rates reversed that downward trajectory and have resulted in a rapid rise in infections and hospitalizations around the country. Therefore, a continued exemption is needed to support direct emergency assistance for some supply chains. This notice continues the relief granted in Emergency Declaration 2020-002, as modified on June 15, 2020, August 15, 2020, and December 1, 2020, through November 30, 2021 subject to the restrictions and conditions set forth herein unless modified or terminated sooner. This extension and amendment of the Emergency Declaration addresses national emergency conditions that create a need for immediate transportation of essential supplies and provides necessary relief from the FMCSRs for motor carriers and drivers.
The extension is limited to transportation of:
Livestock and livestock feed.
Medical supplies and equipment related to the testing, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.
Vaccines, constituent products, and medical supplies and equipment including ancillary supplies/kits for the administration of vaccines, related to the prevention of COVID-19.
Supplies and equipment necessary for community safety, sanitation, and prevention of community transmission of COVID-19 such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, soap and disinfectants.
Food, paper products and other groceries for emergency restocking of distribution centers or stores.
gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and ethyl alcohol; and
supplies to assist individuals impacted by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., building materials for individuals displaced or otherwise impacted as a result of the emergency).
FMCSA said direct assistance does not include routine commercial deliveries, including mixed loads with a nominal quantity of qualifying emergency relief added to obtain the benefits of this emergency declaration.
Click below for the full version of the emergency declaration.
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