The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is continuing the extension of Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002, which gives commercial motor vehicle drivers responding to COVID-19 relief from hours of service regulations. This extension continues the exemption granted from Parts 390 through 399 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) through Aug. 14.
Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 was previously set to expire on July 14.
“FMCSA is continuing the exemption because the presidentially-declared emergency remains in place, and because a continued exemption is needed to support direct emergency assistance for some supply chains,” FMCSA wrote in its extension issued July 13.
“By execution of this extension of Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002, motor carriers and drivers providing direct assistance in support of relief efforts related to the COVID-19 public health emergency are granted emergency relief from Parts 390 through 399 of the FMCSRs, except as restricted herein,” the extension reads. “Direct assistance means transportation and other relief services provided by a motor carrier or its driver(s) incident to the immediate restoration of essential services (such as medical care) or essential supplies related to COVID-19 during the emergency.
“The extension of the emergency declaration provides regulatory relief for commercial motor vehicle operations providing direct assistance in support of efforts related to COVID-19 and is limited to transportation of (1) livestock and livestock feed; (2) medical supplies and equipment related to the testing, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19; and (3) supplies and equipment necessary for community safety, sanitation, and prevention of community transmission of COVID-19 such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, soap and disinfectants.”
FMCSA concluded that there was no longer a need for emergency relief with respect to the other categories of supplies, equipment, and people covered by the May 13 extension and expansion of Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002, and modified the Emergency Declaration to remove those categories.
