SC&RA Requests Operator Exemption from Hours-of-Service Rule

January 12, 2016 - SC&RA has requested a limited exemption for crane operators from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Hours-of-Service (HOS) regulation for commercial drivers. The association made the request “on behalf of individuals who operate cranes with a rated lifting capacity of greater than 30 tons, who engage in specialized training and certification.” 

Although these cranes primarily are used off-road, they are roadworthy and capable of near highway speeds, and SC&RA estimated that there are approximately 65,000 operators of such cranes in the United States. The group noted that, on average, operators spend only one to two hours of on-duty time each trip actually driving the cranes to and from the jobsites; however, they have multiple periods of unscheduled breaks when they are basically “at rest” or “on break.”

 

SC&RA pointed out that, without the exemption, operators frequently would be required to abandon the crane upon exhausting the 14 hours of service, and to return to the vehicle the following day. “This not only significantly slows construction operations and creates substantial inefficiencies and unreasonably delay, but significantly increases costs on an industry-wide scale,” the association said.   

SC&RA further noted that transporting cranes to and from a jobsite typically requires multiple oversize/overweight permits, which already cause delays because of disparate jurisdictional regulations.