The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has not renewed an emergency provision in place that eased HOS requirements during COVID-19.
The provision was first announced in March 2020 and extended through Oct. 15 of this year, providing some relief from hours of service requirements. Officials sought to keep supply chains for vital products flowing amid the pandemic.
The freight eligible for relief included items such as food, vaccines and gasoline transported in response to COVID-19, but the emergency provision didn’t pertain to routine deliveries.
When asked about the change, the FMCSA did not immediately provide details to a request by Transport Dive for the reasoning behind its decision. Its website simply said, “There are no active Emergency Declarations at this time,” a contrast to the 45-day extension that was recently there.
The latest extension from Aug. 31 listed the agency’s then-deputy administrator, Robin Hutcheson, in the notice. Weeks later, the Senate confirmed her to lead the agency to oversee regulation of commercial motor vehicles involved in interstate commerce.