Transport Canada, the Provinces and Territories, through the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA), have made available an optional hours of service exemption for federally regulated carriers to assist in the response to the BC Flood Response.
Termed, the “Targeted Essential Freight Transport Exemption to Support the Emergency Response to the Flooding in British Columbia”, the hours of service exemption is designed solely to assist federally regulated motor carriers (known as extra-provincial carriers) and their drivers who are employed or otherwise engaged in the transport of essential supplies and equipment in direct assistance to the emergency relief efforts in response to flooding in British Columbia.
The exemption for federally regulated carriers provides temporary relief from the scheduling provisions in sections 12 to 29 of the Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations
All other elements of the hours of service regulations remain in place, including the requirements for fatigue management and monitoring, as well as the need to compete daily logbooks and maintain records. There are also several conditions that must be met prior to and during the use of the exemption that carriers are strongly encouraged to review. The options to use this exemption will be available until January 31, 2022 or could be removed earlier if it is no longer deemed necessary by Transport Canada.
The Exemption is subject to the following conditions, among others:
- That the carrier must notify in writing the hours of service director in their base jurisdiction that they want to utilize the exemption, prior to commencement;
- That the carrier must list all drivers and vehicles to participate under the exemption and provide that to the hours of service director prior to commencement;
- That a copy of the exemption must be carried in every vehicle operating under the exemption;
- That the driver must indicate in the remarks section of their daily log if they are operating under the exemption on that day;
- That a carrier cannot have a “conditional” or “unsatisfactory” safety rating;
- That the driver or carrier cannot be under an out-of-service order;
A full copy of the Targeted Essential Freight Transport Exemption to Support the Emergency Response to the Flooding in British Columbia can be obtained by clicking here (EN) and here (FR). Carriers should review the details of the exemption option in its entirety before proceeding.
At this time, CTA expects its members will be using this measure only in very rare or limited circumstances.
