The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration(FMCSA) is seeking comments on an application it has received to exempt tank truck drivers from hours-of-service (HOS) sleeper berth regulations who haul nuclear transuranic waste, according to information in the Federal Register June 12.
The request came from the Department of Energy (DOE), asking for an exemption to the current rules that requires all sleeper berth rest regimens include, in part, the regular use of a period of at least eight hours--combined with a separate period of at least two hours, either in the berth, off-duty, or some combination of both--to gain the equivalent of at least 10 consecutive hours off-duty.
DOE proposes that its contract drivers be allowed to take the equivalent of 10 consecutive hours off duty by splitting berth time into two periods, provided neither of the two periods is less than two hours. Comments must be submitted on or before July 14, 2008.
The FMCSA information can be seen in the Federal Register online.