Asphalt drivers granted two hours-of-service exemptions
Posted January 29, 2018
Drivers transporting asphalt and related materials and equipment had the hours-of-service rules eased thanks to a recent exemption granted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
On behalf of its membership, the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) requested the agency grant exemptions from the 30-minute rest break and the 12-hour provision in the short-haul exception.
The first exemption will enable drivers engaged in the transportation of asphalt and related materials to use 30 minutes or more of on-duty ‘‘waiting time’’ to satisfy the requirement for the 30-minute rest break, provided they do not perform any other work during the break. The second exemption will allow asphalt drivers to use the short-haul exception but return to their work-reporting location within 14 hours instead of the usual 12 hours.
According to NAPA, asphalt is a highly perishable product and delivery is time-sensitive. Asphalt drivers typically only drive one-third of their workday, and the remaining time is spent waiting to load or unload their vehicles or in other non-driving capacities such as paperwork and cleaning their vehicles after each load.
NAPA states that the same reasoning supporting the exemptions from the 30-minute break time rule and allowing a 14-hour daily on-duty period for drivers of ready-mixed concrete vehicles applies to drivers engaged in the transportation of asphalt and related materials and equipment. NAPA argued that in both cases, the drivers do not face the same fatigue factors as drivers of long-haul trucks, and therefore do not pose the same risk of a fatigue-related accident as long-haul drivers.
This exemption is applicable January 26, 2018, and expires January 25, 2023.
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