FMCSA Grants Boston 45-Day Extension on Hazmat Rule

Federal officials have granted Boston a 45-day extension to keep restrictions in place on where trucks carrying hazardous materials can travel in the city.

It is the second extension granted the city by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration following an earlier order issued in November that had voided Boston’s rules on routes and hours for carriers hauling hazardous materials.

The extension follows last week’s FMCSA notice telling the city that it had failed to follow federal procedures to justify the longer routes or night hours that it began making hazmat haulers use in 2006. (Click here for previous story.)

“Opening the route and then shutting it down two days later has confused motor carriers and confounds their ability to operate in compliance with applicable laws,” said Richard Moskowitz, regulatory affairs counsel for American Trucking Associations.

After Boston changed its rules, ATA filed a petition with FMCSA saying the city was not following federal regulations governing routing.

FMCSA agreed and in November told Boston it had overstepped its authority in changing the route and had ignored federally mandated procedures governing routing.

“We are extremely frustrated by Boston’s continued attempts to avoid conducting the required hazmat routing safety analysis and to consult with neighboring jurisdictions that are impacted by its ban on hazardous materials transportation,” Moskowitz said.