National Propane Gas Association asks for hours-of-service exemption
The National Propane Gas Association says it needs an hours-of-service exemption to respond to high demand and to recover from emergency conditions.
Specifically, the organization asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to waive the requirements of CFR 395.3 “to enable the propane industry to prepare and respond to peak periods of consumer demand among residential, agricultural, and commercial consumers in anticipation of, during, and to recover from emergency recommendations.”
A notice of application for exemption was published Sept. 30 in the Federal Register.
The National Propane Gas Association requests a five-year exemption for its member company drivers to do the following:
- Extend the 14-hour duty period to no more than 17 hours.
- Extend the 11-hour driving period to no more than 14 hours following 10 consecutive hours off duty.
- Waive the 60- and 70-hour rules for a period of no more than six consecutive days.
- Allow a period of six consecutive days to end with the beginning of an off-duty period of 34 or more consecutive hours.
The organization is a national trade association of the propane industry with a membership of nearly 2,500 companies and 36 state and regional associations representing members in all 50 states.
Propane gas is used in millions of homes, agricultural operations, schools and businesses throughout the United States, the organization wrote in its application. The group also noted the propane industry’s role as an immediate response fuel in emergency conditions, such as hurricanes, wildfires and blizzards.
Although the FMCSA and states often issue emergency declarations for national disasters, the propane association said they don’t account for the large increase in demand in anticipation of the emergency.
The propane group requests that the exemption apply on a per-driver, per-route basis. In addition, it recommends that each company using the waiver “must maintain appropriate documentation to demonstrate the presence of peak consumer demand conditions within the scope of the exemption.” LL
Here’s another exemption request, from an individual truck driver.