Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Dec. 23, 2022:
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Thursday issued a Regional Emergency Declaration in response to severe winter storms and high demand resulting in difficulty in obtaining heating fuel, including propane, natural gas and heating oil, in 45 states.
Motor carriers and drivers providing direct assistance supporting emergency relief efforts transporting the products listed above into the affected states are granted emergency relief from the maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles in the hours of service regulations.
Affected states covered by the waiver include: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
The declaration is effective immediately and will remain in effect until the end of the emergency, or through Jan. 6, whichever is earlier. FMCSA noted that if President Biden or the governor or authorized representative of the state in which you are providing direct assistance to emergency relief efforts has also issued an emergency declaration relating to this emergency for that state, that declaration may provide additional regulatory relief.
While improving slightly from September, ACT Research's Tractor Dashboard remained negative in October.
