Truckers Get Emergency Pass to Ignore Driving Hour Limits
Published Date: 12/17/2025
Notice
Summary
Hulcher Services, Inc. wants special permission to let their drivers work extra hours during railroad emergencies, even if it breaks the usual driving time rules. This change affects Hulcher’s drivers who handle urgent railroad problems and could help them respond faster when emergencies pop up outside normal shifts. The public can share their thoughts by January 16, 2026, before a decision is made.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Exemption to exceed HOS for Hulcher drivers
If you are a Hulcher driver, Hulcher has asked FMCSA for permission to let its roughly 350 driver employees operate beyond the hours-of-service limits in 49 CFR part 395 (including the 14-consecutive-hour driving window and the 60/70-hour weekly on‑duty limits) when dispatched to respond to railroad emergencies. The company requests this relief for drivers responding to requests to clear disabled or derailed trains, debris, or hazards that block railroad rights-of-way.
Faster railroad emergency responses
Hulcher says the exemption would let its teams transport heavy recovery equipment (side-booms, grapple trucks, rollbacks, service trucks, and other CMVs) to clear derailments and hazards that occur outside normal hours or in remote areas, enabling quicker restoration of rail operations. The company argues that without the exemption drivers may be unable to move equipment because they have exceeded the 14-hour window or weekly limits.
Company fatigue controls pledged
Hulcher states it will use several fatigue-mitigation measures if the exemption is granted, including a documented fatigue management policy, minimum one-hour lead time before mobilization, pre-dispatch verbal readiness checks and vehicle inspections by field supervisors, and authorization for drivers to decline assignments if fatigued. Hulcher also says drivers record incident-site time as on-duty not driving time and that no driver will operate a CMV after field work until the required 10- or 34-hour off-duty rest has been satisfied.
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