Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, June 10, 2020:
FMCSA extends COVID-19 HOS waiver, removes certain load types
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has extended its hours of service exemption for COVID-19 emergency relief haulers for another month through July 14 while also narrowing its definition of relief loads. The waiver was set to end June 14.
The agency says the extension is due to the national emergency declared by President Trump still being in effect.
The waiver now only covers the following load types:
- Livestock and livestock feed
- Medical supplies and equipment related to COVID-19 testing, diagnosis and treatment
- 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
No longer included in the waiver are loads of food, paper products and other groceries for emergency restocking of stores; fuel; precursor raw materials like paper, plastic or alcohol; liquefied gases to be used in refrigeration or cooling systems; or equipment, supplies and persons meant to provide temporary housing and quarantine facilities.
FMCSA says there is “no longer a need for emergency relief with respect to the other categories of supplies, equipment, and persons covered by the May 13 extension.”
Two drivers named Citizen Driver Award winners
Truck drivers Herschel Evans and Jerry Seaman were named on Tuesday the latest winners of the TA-Petro Citizen Driver Award. The winners were announced on the Dave Nemo Radio Show on the Road Dog Trucking channel on SiriusXM.
Herschel EvansEvans, of Bremen, Georgia, drives for Holland, Inc. He has been driving trucks for 32 years and has compiled 3.1 million accident-free miles. He has previously received the 2018 Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance International Driver Excellence Award and was an America’s Road Team Captain in 2013.
Off the road, Evans helped start and has been heavily involved in Convoy of Care, which started in 2016. The organization started as an effort to help victims of severe flooding in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in hauling supplies to the area. Evans said the group has now made seven trips to different places, including Houston following Hurricane Harvey and more.
Evans has chose the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s Safety Drive for a Cure as his charity to receive the $2,500 donation. The Petro in Atlanta, Georgia, will soon be dedicated in his name.
Jerry SeamanSeaman, based in Huron, South Dakota, has a 48-year driving career and currently drivers for Huron-based NTA Trucking. He has logged more than 5 million accident-free miles during his career.
In 2010, Seaman was chosen as the National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC) Driver of the Year and as a member of their 2010 America’s Safe Driver Team.
He is heavily involved in his church, serving as a Sunday school teacher, Sunday school director, worship leader and music director. He also works with the Special Olympics and has been involved with the South Dakota Convoy for Special Olympics since its inception in 2002.
Seaman chose the St. Christopher Trucker’s Relief Fund as his charity to receive the $2,500 donation from TA. The Vermillion, South Dakota, TA Express will soon be dedicated in his name.
Rolling Strong now selling PPE for fleets
Rolling Strong, a provider of health and wellness programs for truck drivers, is now offering personal protective equipment (PPE) for drivers and fleets in its online store.
The store includes bottles of hand sanitizer, alcohol wipes, a disposable thermometer, masks and gloves.
“Statistically, professional drivers have higher rates of diabetes, heart disease and obesity, they have challenges getting the proper amount of rest, exercise and nutrition, and they travel far more miles than anyone else,” said Stephen Kane, president of Rolling Strong. “All of that can make it more difficult to battle the coronavirus, so offering personal protective equipment at reasonable prices is an important part of helping make the safety of professional drivers a top priority during this outbreak.”
