The American Pyrotechnics Association is petitioning the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for a reprieve from the electronic logging device mandate for its member companies that currently hold a 14-hour hours-of-service exemption for the Independence Day holiday period.
If granted the exemption, APA members that already hold the 14-hour HOS exemption would be able to use paper logs instead of ELDs during that time. Currently, 51 of APA’s 250-plus member companies can take advantage of the exemption.
The group says allowing its companies to continue using paper logs for such a limited period of time wouldn’t change operational safety. Additionally, APA says with the “unique nature of the fireworks industry,” using ELDs would “impose a substantial financial burden on members because it would require them to purchase/lease systems for use for only a short period every year.”
The exemption request says that its members use drivers periodically during the year, particularly during the Independence Day season when the industry depends on short-term truck rentals. According to the request, 90 percent of the fireworks industry’s vehicles are rented or leased for less than 30 days at a time.
Public comments can be made on the request for 30 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, April 23. Comments can be made at www.regulations.gov by searching Docket No. FMCSA-2018-0140.
