The FMCSA has extended its hours-of-service waiver for truckers who are hauling supplies and equipment to the Gulf for use in the oil spill containment and cleanup. Please see my earlier blog here. The original waiver was set to expire Friday, but now it will continue to May 30. Click here for more detail. Immediate relief from certain regulations on motor carrier transportation is necessary to ensure timely delivery of essential equipment and supplies, including specialized oil well equipment to seal the ruptured well head, and booms, skimmers, chemical dispersants, flammable liquids and other oil containment equipment.
An explosion and fire on an oil drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana on April 20, 2010 and the subsequent sinking of that rig have resulted in a major oil spill, known as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, in the Gulf of Mexico. The resulting oil slick has damaged or is threatening the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Emergency measures are underway to respond to the oil spill and slick.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
