The House approved legislation March 4 that would extend through May exemptions to federal hours-of-service rules for truck drivers hauling propane.
The Home Heating Emergency Assistance Through Transportation Act of 2014, known as HHEATT, was approved “overwhelmingly,” the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said in a statement. The committee’s chairman, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), and Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.), chairman of the panel’s subcommittee on highways, introduced the bill.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has waived HOS rules for propane haulers multiple times this winter as transportation issues have caused supply problems, the committee said. But those waivers can only last 30 days at a time.
“While we can’t control the weather and bring an end to this brutally cold winter, we can do something to help Americans who’ve been unable to get enough propane and heating fuel because of transportation and distribution issues,” Shuster said in a statement. “The HHEATT Act will provide some critical relief during this time of emergency and help get fuel to those who need it most.”
The bill now heads to the Senate for its approval.
