Issues guidance for truck drivers who encounter threatening situations on the road:
Twenty years after 9/11 our diligence to keep our commercial drivers safe on the road is ever present. The FMCSA has issued the following for our road warriors:
Emergency conditions: In case of any emergency, a driver may complete his run without being in violation of the provisions of the regulation's part.
After seeing incidents of threats against truckers, FMCSA wants drivers to know that they may use the emergency conditions exception in § 395.1(b) to complete a trip without violating the hours-of- service regulations if the trip was delayed due to a civil disturbance causing a driver to reasonably fear for their physical safety. Any driver who experiences crime or violence should immediately call the police.
The emergency conditions exception is typically used for adverse weather conditions, unexpected traffic backups, etc. According the the FMCSA, a driver cannot use the exemption if he or she has accumulated driving time and on-duty time that would put a driver over 15 hours or over 70 hours in 8 days.
The adverse driving conditions exception only applies to the 10-hour rule.
Comments