With Tropical Storm Hermine blowing on the coasts of their states, the governors of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia have waived hours-of-service requirements.
South Carolina’s Nikki Haley issued the waiver on Sept. 1, noting that North Carolina’s Pat McCrory had suspended HOS rules and that whenever the Tar Heel State declares a state of emergency the Palmetto State is constitutionally obliged to follow suit. Haley’s suspension remains in effect for a week or until the emergency ends.
On the afternoon of Sept. 2 Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe followed suit in declaring a state of emergency and waving HOS rules for trucks “transporting essential emergency relief supplies, passengers, property, livestock, poultry, equipment, food, feed for livestock or poultry, fuel construction materials, and other critical supplies.”
Virginia’s waiver lasts until the emergency ends or 15 days, whichever comes first.
Haley wrote, “Whereas a declaration of emergency exists in the State of North Carolina due to the approach of Tropical Storm Hermine, threatening the public welfare and causing a need for the uninterrupted supply of equipment, goods, services and any other item needing to be moved on the highways of North Carolina … I hereby determine that an emergency exists in the state of South Carolina ... and accordingly direct the South Carolina Department of Transportation and the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, and the State Transport Police as needed, to suspend the federal rules and regulations that limit the hours operators of commercial vehicles may drive, in order to ensure the uninterrupted supply of liquid petroleum gas to the State of North Carolina.”
McCrory also suspended HOS rules on Sept. 1 in advance of the strong winds and heavy rain that were supposed to start the next day and are expected to continue for two days.
Hermine is expected to bring up to 6 to 8 inches of rain to some parts of North Carolina. The storm surge is expected to be 1 to 2 feet and a flash flood watch or flood watch is in effect for much of central and eastern North Carolina.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has not suspended HOS rules.
“Georgia is expected to receive severe weather related to Tropical Storm Hermine through Saturday,” Deal said. “We are working to ensure counties in south, central and coastal Georgia have access to the state resources necessary to prepare and respond when Tropical Storm Hermine enters Georgia. Our Emergency Operations Command will continue closely monitoring this storm and additional counties may be included in this declaration as needed.”
