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In March of 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued an emergency declaration, exempting motor carriers and drivers providing direct relief related to the COVID-19 outbreaks from many of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). While temporary, the declaration has been extended multiple times.
Transportation operations are critical to restock store shelves, move critical equipment and supplies to where they are needed, keep critical supply chains open and moving, maintain essential services, and ensure that the right people are in the place where they are needed. The emergency exemption provides hours-of-service relief to qualifying motor carriers supporting pandemic relief efforts.
The latest extension continues to offer relief from the hours-of-service limits in 49 CFR 395.3. This means eligible drivers are not required to have a minimum amount of rest and may drive after the normal 11-hour driving limit, 14-hour duty limit, and/or 60/70-hour weekly limit. They must be in compliance, however, with all other federal safety requirements related to driver qualification, vehicle inspections and maintenance, drug and alcohol testing, licensing, cargo securement, etc. They also must log their time as they normally would, whether using paper logs, electronic logs, or short-haul time records.
To be eligible for the exemption, the transportation must be both:
A driver cannot, nor can a carrier allow, a driver to operate while ill or fatigued — or likely to become ill or fatigued — per 49 CFR 392.3.
Drivers and carriers are subject to the following restrictions and conditions: