Federal regulators have accepted a petition from several trade organizations who have complained that fluctuating federal hazardous materials safety permit requirements are causing some safe motor carriers to loose their eligibility and even cease operations.
In granting the petition, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Anne Ferro acknowledged last month that the agency needed to revise the 2005 regulation to ensure that “safe, qualified carriers to are able to continue transporting permitted hazardous materials and to eliminate perceived biases in the agency’s program.”
A HMSP is required for carriers transporting certain explosives, PIH materials, radioactive materials, and liquefied natural gas.
The five trade organizations are the National Tank Truck Carriers, the Agricultural Retailers Association, the American Pyrotechnics Association, the Institute of Makers of Explosives and the National Association of Chemical Distributors.
Hazmat haulers and drivers currently can have their safety permits revoked if they fall within the top 30% of out-of-service rates, but the criteria can fluctuate on an annual basis.
