Oregon Trucking Associations Loggers’ Exemption from 30-minute Break Extended
posted in Alerts, Newsletter, Uncategorized by Brian Gray
Oregon Trucking Associations Loggers’ Exemption from 30-minute Break Extended
Originally granted in 2015, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) extended the hours-of-service exemption to Oregon loggers with the Oregon Trucking Associations (OTA) and the Department of Energy.
The FMCSA granted the waiver due to Oregon’s restrictions on when logging operations can be performed. Oregon’s Department of Forestry limits logging operations to certain hours of the day to reduce risk of fires. OTA’s request for the exemption to the 30-minute break rule says the restrictions usually are in place from July to late October. Timber haulers “need all the remaining time each day to cut and remove the volume of timber needed to sustain the lumber mills,” OTA said in its original application.
Now, the exemption is extended from its previous March 18, 2017 expiration to March 18, 2020. The exemption allows drivers transporting timber from Oregon forests to skip the mandated 30-minute break. Drivers using the exemption are limited to 12 hours on-duty time following 10 hours off duty.
The extension of the expiration date is in response to a provision in the December-passed FAST Act highway bill.
Did You Wrongly Receive a 30- Minute Break Violation?
Any exempt driver wrongly receiving a 30 minute break violation should challenge the violation through the FMCSA Data Q system. Glostone Trucking Solutions can help those unfamiliar with this process. Call our staff at 503-607-1088.
