Hurricane Idalia Brings Plethora of State Declarations

Hurricane Idalia is hitting the eastern seaboard, and what was once a problem for Florida is now expanding into other states. Here is what that entails for the four states below.

Georgia

Georgia’s Declaration covers a variety of topics, which you can read on the FMCSA webpage, but what will catch the eye of truckers is the suspension of hours-of-service regulations. It applies to all good that can be classified as hurricane relief, and it follows the typical hours-of-service suspension rules, such as requiring a ten-hour break immediately after delivery should a driver go beyond the typical timeframe.

Kentucky

The Bluegrass state has also declared a State of Emergency. Kentucky’s Declaration includes a suspension of hours-of-service regulations in the typical fashion, but it also grants exemption to commercial vehicles providing power restoration services from having to visit weigh stations, which could otherwise slow them down as they wait in line.

North Carolina

The twin Carolinas have very expansive sets of Declarations, but as a summary, the northern state includes:

• Hours-of-service exemption for food, crops, and power restoration.
• Weight restrictions waivers.
• Non-participants in North Carolina’s International Registration Plan and International Fuel Tax Agreement are allowed to provide help without fear of taxes and penalties.

South Carolina

South Carolina’s Declaration is also very wordy, but the gist of it is in section 2B, where the governor says that he will “waive or suspend application and enforcement of the requisite state and federal rules and regulations pertaining to registration, permitting, length, width, weight, load, and hours of service for commercial vehicles and operators of commercial vehicles operating in accordance with the provisions of any emergency declaration issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”).”

Because the Declaration is posted onto the FMCSA website, it is safe to assume that drivers providing relief in South Carolina are good to go on all of the listed fronts.

Conclusion

By the time this article is published and you read it, Hurricane Idalia itself will be no more. However, the economic devastation resulting from Idalia will still linger and relief and repairs will still be needed. This is where America’s truckers come in to provide blankets, bottled water, and other things the populace will need to make it through this tumultuous time.

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