FMCSA Agrees to Grant Certain Fuel Marketers Exemption From the 30-Minute Rest Break Requirement

On April 9, 2018 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced its decision to grant fuel marketers an exemption from the requirement that drivers of commercial motor vehicles obtain a 30-minute rest break. The exemption comes at the request of National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC) and the Massachusetts Motor Transportation Association (MMTA) and was supported by the American Trucking Association.

The exemption granted by FMCSA applies from April 9, 2018 through April 10, 2023 and is available when a driver who normally operates under the short-haul exception finds that operational issues require the driver to exceed the 12-hour limit of that exception. Drivers operating under the FMCSA’s new 30-minute exemption must still return to their work reporting location and be released from duty within 14 hours of having come on duty following 10 or more consecutive hours off duty.

FMCSA’s 30-minute rest break exemption is limited to motor fuel carriers and drivers engaged in the transportation of the following products: Ethanol, Diesel Fuel, Gasoline, Fuel aviation, turbine engine, Flammable liquids, n.o.s. (gasoline), Ethanol and gasoline mixtures, Ethanol and motor spirit mixtures, or Ethanol and petrol mixtures, and Diesel fuel or Fuel oil.

The exemption is limited to motor carriers with an FMCSA safety rating of satisfactory or unrated. Drivers utilizing this exemption must have a copy of the exemption document in their possession. The document can be found here.