Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §555, sub-§2-B is enacted to read:

2-B.__Participation in federal pilot program; temporary exemptions from hours-of-service regulations.__The Commissioner of Public Safety shall grant temporary exemptions from the weekly restrictions in the intrastate hours-of-service regulations for the transportation of home heating oil during the winter months for the purpose of enabling intrastate motor carriers conducting such operations to do so under terms and conditions identical to those used in the Pilot Program for Drivers Delivering Home Heating Oil published in the Federal Register Vol. 66, No. 135.

SUMMARY

The bill instructs the Commissioner of Public Safety to allow Maine to participate in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or "FMCSA" pilot program that allows for a restart of drivers' hours in order to allow for flexibility in the hours-of-service regulations. This pilot program, which lasts for 3 years, is managed and monitored by the FMCSA and will provide data to the FMCSA for the purpose of evaluating current hours-of-service regulations.