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Section 5515 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (Pub. L. 114-94) required the Administrator of the FMCSA to conduct a study on the safety effects of motor carrier operator commutes exceeding 150 minutes and submit to Congress a report containing the...
Are motor carriers required to obtain approval from the FMCSA prior to participating in the emergency relief effort?
No. With one exception, any motor carrier providing direct assistance, as defined in the regulations, to the emergency relief effort may participate. ...
What would NOT be included in exempt services and supplies in a declared emergency?
The emergency exemption does not include transportation related to long-term rehabilitation of damaged physical infrastructure or routine commercial deliveries after the initial threat to life and...
What services and supplies are covered by an emergency declaration?
In general, direct assistance includes the immediate restoration of essential services (such as electricity, medical care, sewer, water, telecommunications, and telecommunication transmissions) or essential...
How do I know what emergency declarations are in effect at any given time?
The FMCSA makes every attempt to list known declarations of emergency on its website at www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency-declarations. Regional emergency exemptions based on 49 CFR 390.23 are valid for 30...
Where do the emergency exemptions apply?
Drivers responding to provide direct assistance to a declared emergency are exempt from applicable regulations in all States on their route to the emergency, even though those States may not be involved in the emergency or...
What other regulations are NOT exempted by a Declaration of Emergency?
Declarations of emergency that trigger the provisions of 49 CFR 390.23 do not exempt motor carriers or drivers from requirements relating to license plates, taxes, oversize-overweight rules, or “for hire...
What safety regulations are NOT exempted by an Emergency Declaration?
Drivers and motor carriers must continue to comply with the Controlled Substances and Alcohol Use and Testing requirements (49 CFR part 382), the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) requirements (49 CFR part 383), the...
What regulations are included in 49 CFR Parts 390-399?
Among the major regulations are those safety rules relating to hours of service, vehicle maintenance and inspection, and general driver qualifications. The complete Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations can be found at...
How do State and Federal Declarations of Emergency affect motor carrier operations?
When an official governmental Declaration of Emergency is issued for a type of major emergency, motor carriers and operators of commercial motor vehicles that are providing emergency...