Hazmat haulers exempt from 30-min. break

The American Trucking Associations was granted an exemption request it made in May that exempts hazardous materials haulers from the 30-minute break required by federal hours-of-service regulations.

FMCSA granted National ATA’s request stating the exemption will apply to motor carriers and their drivers that transport certain hazmat loads that require security plans, which normally require a driver to “attend” to the cargo while the truck is stopped. This is considered an on-duty activity.

According to the ruling, exempt drivers may now count their on-duty attendance of the hazmat cargo toward the required break as long as no other on-duty activities are performed during the stated break time.

The exemption is effective immediately through Aug. 21, 2017.