Transport Canada, the Provinces and Territories have made available an optional hours of service exemption for extra-provincial truck undertakings to assist in the emergency response to wildfires in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
Termed, the “Targeted Essential Freight Transport Exemption to Support the Emergency Response to Wildfires in Alberta and Northwest Territories”, the measure provides options for an hours-of-service exemption designed solely to support efforts by extra-provincial truck undertakings and their drivers to transport essential supplies and equipment, in direct assistance to the emergency relief efforts in response to the wildfires in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
The exemption comes for temporary relief from the scheduling provisions in sections 12 to 29 and 37 to 54 of the Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations.
There are several detailed conditions associated with the exemption that carriers are strongly encouraged to review, some of which include but are not limited to:
- That the carrier must notify in writing the hours-of-service director in their base jurisdiction that they want to utilize the exemption, prior to commencement;
- That the carrier must list all drivers and vehicles to participate under the exemption and provide that to the hours-of-service director prior to commencement;
- That a copy of the exemption must be carried in every vehicle operating under the exemption;
- That the driver must indicate in the remarks section of their daily log if they are operating under the exemption on that day — Tracking Number – ASF- 2023-02E
- That a carrier cannot have a “conditional” or “unsatisfactory” safety rating;
- That the driver or vehicle cannot be subject to an out-of-service declaration;
A full copy of the Targeted Essential Freight Transport Exemption specific to the Wildfires in Alberta and the Northwest Territories (that include all of the conditions that must be met) can be obtained by clicking here (EN) and here (FR) . Carriers should review the details of the exemption option in its entirety before proceeding.
This exemption comes into effect August 17 and remains valid until the earliest of the following:
- September 30, 2023 at 23:59 EST;
- the date on which the exemption is cancelled in writing by the Minister where he is of the opinion that it is no longer in the public interest, or that it is likely to affect motor carrier safety.