WASHINGTON — Truck drivers and aviation companies could both see cost savings benefits from a new CDL exemption proposed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The proposed exemption, posted on Tuesday, would amend FMCSA safety regulations to allow states to waive the hazardous materials (HM) endorsement requirement for Class A CDL holders who haul no more than 1,000 gallons of aviation-grade jet fuel for agricultural aircraft operations.
FMCSA’s proposal was initiated by an application submitted by the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA), which pointed out that the agency already waives the CDL hazmat endorsement requirement for drivers hauling diesel fuel.
When FMCSA granted NAAA’s application in December 2022 as a prerequisite to starting the formal rulemaking process for the exemption, the agency noted that both diesel and jet fuels “are similar enough in chemical characteristics” to consider extending the exception to hauling jet fuel.
“The proposal would result in cost savings for agricultural aviation operators and the drivers these operators hire to mix, load, and transport jet fuel in quantities of 1,000 gallons or less” in states that choose to allow the waiver, according to FMCSA.
“Class A CDL holders would avoid approximately $261 in costs associated with each driver obtaining an HM endorsement [see table], and agricultural aviation operators would be able to run their businesses more efficiently by making use of satellite airstrips,” the FMCSA stated.
NAAA explained in its application that truck drivers are needed to haul jet fuel and crop protection products to satellite airstrips nearer to the fields that need to be sprayed.
“This is necessary to save on the quantity of fuel consumed by an ag aircraft and to save aircraft flight time between the loading facility and the application site,” according to NAAA. “A shortage of available drivers may prevent using a satellite airstrip closer to the application site.”
This results in an aircraft having to travel back to its home base for each load instead of using a closer landing area, NAAA stated. “In this case, more fuel is burned to travel to the application site and more time elapses, resulting in fewer application jobs performed during the day. Therefore, the granting of the application would save considerably on fuel costs.”
In a similar proposal submitted to FMCSA in 2005 (which was ultimately denied for technical reasons), NAAA cited a survey in which one aircraft operator claimed he loses $2,500 to $5,000 per day as a result of not having an available CDL holder to haul jet fuel. In the current rulemaking, FMCSA requests updated financial data from the public.
Federal labor data shows that as of May 2023, there were 5,430 heavy tractor-trailer drivers that support crop production – although not all were involved in aviation operations. FMCSA also at this point does not know how many drivers are employed by agricultural aviation operators in the states that ultimately might choose to waive the HM endorsement requirement, if the proposed rule is finalized.
FMCSA noted as well that state driver licensing agencies could see increased costs to update their websites to reflect the HM endorsement change as well as for additional training for roadside inspectors.