ClarksvilleNow.com Reporting
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. –Gov. Bill Haslam declared a State of Emergency in Tennessee to exempt the federal Hours of Service requirements in the state for the transporting of propane during the next period of cold weather.
“This has been a hard winter already for many home and business owners in Tennessee,” Haslam said. “This executive order will help families, farmers and businesses get the necessary energy resources to stay warm, stay open and keep operating.”
Current federal law limits drivers transporting hazardous materials, such as propane, to driving 70 hours a week in stretches of no more than 11 hours a day. The drivers must have at least 10 continuous hours off between driving shifts.
The emergency declaration will allow drivers to work longer hours to transport propane to homes and business in Tennessee, and to other hard-hit areas of the United States.
The Tennessee departments of Agriculture, Environment and Conservation, Safety, Transportation, and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency are coordinating with each other, with other states and with federal authorities to put the exemption in place.