Action
Notice; extension of exemption.
Summary
FMCSA announces the extension of the 2015 exemption granted to the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA) for the transportation of loads that exceed normal weight and dimensional limits. The exemption applies to all oversize-overweight permitted loads whose drivers are not required to comply with the 30-minute rest break rule. The Agency extends the expiration date to June 17, 2020, in response to section 5206(b)(2)(A) of the "Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act" (FAST Act). That section extends the expiration date of hours-of-service (HOS) exemptions in effect on the date of enactment of the FAST Act to 5 years from the date of issuance of the exemptions. The SC&RA exemption from the Agency's 30-minute rest break requirement is limited to drivers of specialized loads moving in interstate commerce that exceed normal weight and dimension limits--oversize/overweight (OS/OW) loads--and require a permit issued by a government authority. The Agency previously determined that the drivers of specialized commercial motor vehicles (CMV) under this exemption would likely achieve a level of safety equivalent to or greater than the level of safety that would be obtained in the absence of the exemption.