Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Feb, 19, 2021:
Hours regs suspended in 33 states, D.C., for winter storm relief haulers
Truck drivers and carriers hauling various winter storm relief supplies in 33 states and Washington, D.C., are exempt from hours of service regulations following an emergency declaration issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Midwestern, Southern, and Western Service Centers.
Affected states and jurisdictions included in the waiver are: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Washington, D.C.
The emergency declaration provides for regulatory relief for carriers while providing direct assistance supporting emergency relief efforts in the above states transporting supplies; goods; equipment; heating fuels including propane, natural gas, and heating oil; and other fuel products including gasoline.
The declaration is effective until the end of the emergency or through March 4, whichever is earlier.
Mississippi-based fleet announces new pay program for drivers
Booneville, Mississippi-based Morgan Van Lines has announced a new pay program that increases current drivers’ cents-per-mile pay as well as offers higher pay to new drivers based on their tenure with previous carriers.
The program is set up on two levels with the first offering drivers up to 50 cpm if they averaged less than two years of prior verifiable driving experience. Level two pays up to 55 cpm for qualified drivers who averaged two years or more of prior verifiable driving experience.
“We want to recognize and reward the professional truck driver who is not a job-hopper, who stays with a truck line for more than just a few months,” said Jeff Palmer with MVL. “These drivers deserve to keep their seniority when they want to move to a better career home.”
