Trucking Advisory - Motor Carrier Emergency Enforcement Reminder

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

Oregon Motor Carrier Emergency Enforcement Reminder

 

On July 7, Governor Kate Brown signed Senate Bill 1601 into law.  The bill includes several items that affect commercial vehicle operators and ODOT operations.

There will be a moratorium on issuing certain citations through December 31, 2020.  Therefore, ODOT Motor Carrier Enforcement staff will not be issuing citations for the following violations:

  • Operating a vehicle without driving privileges
  • Failure to register a vehicle

Additionally, on July 27, ODOT Director Kris Strickler issued an emergency declaration pursuant to his authority in ORS 823.012.  This declaration rescinded his previous declaration dated March 16, 2020, and reinstated all motor carrier size and weight regulations.

As of July 27, 2020, all size and weight requirements are in effect. Vehicles exceeding legal weights will need to obtain an overweight permit.

Until otherwise noted, the following two laws continue to be suspended:

  • ORS 823.031 Registration of certain vehicles not already registered with the state: This suspension applies to any commercial vehicle for which a valid registration may not be obtained due to circumstances related to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Many of our state partners have extended their registration waivers, and as such, ODOT will not enforce registration of vehicles not already registered with the state.
  • ORS 823.252 Commercial vehicle safety regulations: This suspension continues subject to the stipulations consistent with the federal declaration of emergency waivers issued by FMCSA.

For all information regarding federal regulations and motor carrier operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit the FMCSA online information page at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/COVID-19.

Note: Following this advisory, until September 1, 2020, ODOT Enforcement staff will continue to issue warnings for the regulations listed in the March declaration in an effort to allow motor carriers time to adjust to the changing guidelines. After September 1, citations will be issued for those not in compliance.

For further information, please visit Commerce and Compliance Division online at https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/MCT/Pages/Index.aspx, or call us at 503-378-6880.