A regional emergency has been declared by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Western and Southern Service Centers in response to Subtropical Storm Alberto. The emergency declaration suspends hours of service regulations for truckers hauling relief loads and emergency supplies to states in the path of the storm.
The slow-moving storm is expected to make landfall this evening and deliver heavy rains and high winds from Mobile, Alabama to the Big Bend region of Florida along the Gulf Coast. The forecast calls for the storm to weaken as it moves northward throughout the rest of the week, reaching the Great Lakes by Thursday morning.
The declaration applies to Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas, and lasts “for the duration of the emergency,” or until June 27, whichever is earlier.
Covered by the temporary waiver are, drivers “providing direct assistance supporting emergency relief efforts transporting supplies, equipment and persons into or from the affected states or providing other assistance in the form of emergency services during the emergency resulting from the storm,” it states. Drivers hauling fuel products to the affected areas are also covered by the waiver.
See the FMCSA’s declaration.
