Truck drivers providing direct emergency assistance in eight states that could potentially be impacted by Hurricane Michael have been granted relief from Parts 390 through 399 of federal regulations for the duration of the emergency.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Southern Service Center issued a regional emergency declaration for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee ahead of the storm that is expected to make landfall along the Florida panhandle Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane.
Drivers supporting emergency relief efforts hauling supplies, equipment, fuel and people into and out of the affected states will be able to operate under the temporary exemption. The declaration is effective as of Tuesday afternoon and will remain in effect through the duration of the emergency, or until 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 9, whichever is sooner.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Michael is forecast to move over the Florida panhandle or big bend area Wednesday, then move northeastward across Georgia and the Carolinas before moving off the mid-Atlantic coast by Friday. As of Tuesday afternoon, maximum sustained winds are near 110 miles per hour, and additional strengthening is expected before it makes landfall.