The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted an exemption for tanker drivers from the federally required 30-minute break when their day requires them to work beyond 12 hours. The 5 year exemption is for drivers who normally operate under the 100 air-mile short-haul hours of service exemption and who transport specific types of petroleum-based fuels.
The National Tank Truck Carriers and the Massachusetts Motor Transport Association requested the exemption in September for the occasions when drivers don’t meet the requirements of the short-haul exemption, and added these occurrences are rare.
In the Federal Register notice, FMCSA says these drivers take several breaks throughout the day when unloading at service stations, and that meets the needs of the 30-minute break. FMCSA has evaluated the application for an exemption and the public comments that were submitted. Few comments opposed the application.
Drivers operating under the exemption must still complete their work day within the 14-hour on-duty window and keep a log on the days they don’t meet the short-haul exemption.
NTTC estimates there are approximately 38,000 trucks operate under the short-haul exemption daily that would now qualify for the 30-minute break exemption.
The exemption went into effect yesterday, April 9.