Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announces hours of service extension waiver

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced an extension of the current exemptions which provide regulatory relief for commercial motor vehicle operations providing direct assistance in support of emergency relief efforts related to COVID-19. 

This declaration provides relief of maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles, according to a news release from the United Fresh Produce Association. The current exemptions were set to expire at midnight last night. The new extension shall remain in effect until 11:59 P.M. (ET), Nov. 30 this year, according to the release.

The National Grocers Association (NGA) applauded the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) extension of their Hours of Service emergency declaration FMSCA has provided hours-of-service flexibility for commercial drivers transporting certain categories of eligible items critical to the supply chain since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Independent grocers, whether retail of wholesale, have been working around the clock for over a year to keep shelves stocked and their communities fed,” Robert Yeakel, NGA director of government relations, said in a news release.

“Like many other industries operating during this pandemic, our supply chain has suffered shocks that will continue to reverberate. We’re grateful to FMCSA for not only listening but responding to the issues our wholesalers are facing.”

The FMCSA also officially extended waivers for commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and commercial learner’s permits (CLPs). FMCSA permits, but does not require, states to extend the validity of CDLs and CLPs and to waive the 14-day waiting period and grants other waivers from certain regulations applicable to interstate and intrastate CDL and CLP holders and to other interstate drivers operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). Given the national emergency, there is a continued public need for transportation of essential supplies, equipment, and persons, which requires an adequate and sustained supply of CDL holders, CLP holders, and drivers operating CMVs (non-CDL drivers).

This waiver is granted to provide the same needed relief from previous waivers. This waiver expires on November 30, 2021. FMCSA intends to review the status of this waiver as of October 1, 2021, and may take action to terminate the waiver sooner if conditions warrant.