Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Aug. 19, 2022:
Minnesota extends HOS emergency waiver for fuel haulers
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz extended an emergency declaration this week for fuel haulers in the state.
Walz said fuel terminals across the state are reporting shortages or outages of products, and drivers have experienced long wait times due to increased demand at terminals that do have available supply.
The waiver from 49 CFR Part 395.3 applies to drivers hauling gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, ethanol and biodiesel.
“We are nearing the end of the summer travel season and look ahead to the harvest season, when farmers will rely heavily on gasoline, diesel, and other fuels to complete their work,” Walz said in the extension of the declaration.
The extension will remain in effect until it is rescinded or until Sept. 11, whichever is sooner.
Another driver requests HOS exemption
A little over two months after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published a request from owner-operator Lee Schmitt for an exemption from most of the hours of service regulations, another truck driver’s request will open up for comments Friday, Aug. 19.
In an application for exemption to be published Friday, truck driver Ronnie Brown III takes his request farther. Unlike Schmitt, who did not request to be exempt from the 11-hour daily drive time limit, Brown is requesting a five-year exemption solely for himself from the drive time limit, as well as the 10-consecutive-hour off-duty requirement, the 14-hour driving window, and the 60 hours in seven days and 70 hours in eight days limits, along with the electronic logging device regulations.
The request states that Brown has been operating commercial motor vehicles for more than 15 years.
FMCSA said Brown’s request also states that the HOS regulations present “safety concerns” and are a “one size fits all set of rules.” His request further adds that the ELD and HOS regulations are a “control mechanism by the government” and a violation of his “constitutional right to free movement,” adding that he says he “can safely drive … no matter the amount of sleep [he] get[s] or the length of drive time.”
