Contractors petition for HOS exemptions

R.J. Corman Railroad Services, Cranemasters Inc. and the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) have petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for relief from certain hours-of-service (HOS) rules—specifically, a five-year exemption from HOS rules regarding maximum driving time for drivers of property-carrying vehicles, according to a notice published in the Federal Register on March 8.

The exemption, if granted, would apply to railroad employees normally subject to HOS rules who are responding to unplanned occurrences that exceed normal work hours, including workers who haul equipment used to clear derailed or disabled trains or debris blocking railroad tracks. The occurrences could include a rail break, signal system malfunctions, a bridge strike or a disabled motor vehicle on a grade crossing.

The exemption would pertain only to the time workers spend driving to the work site.