Truck Drivers To The Rescue: Victims of Hurricane Sandy Getting Help From DOT

In an effort to alleviate fuel shortages in states impacted by Hurricane Sandy’s landfall last week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said Monday it is leading what it calls an “interstate petroleum transport team” that will “serve as a single point of contact for states, the trucking industry and other agencies to assist in the removal of barriers to the quick delivery of fuel,” FMCSA’s announcement says.

State-level barriers like restrictions on truck sizes and weights and authority to travel across state lines are on the list of obstacles FMCSA says it hopes to mitigate with its team.

“This team will help get fuel delivered to states and communities recovering from Hurricane Sandy even faster and more efficiently than before, by streamlining multiple state regulations for trucks,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in the announcement.

The team is also helping coordinate waivers of certain regulations to help get fuel to affected states, including waivers of hours-of-service regs, size and weight rules, vehicle registration waivers and fuel tax waivers.