OTA Dispatch Issue 4 2017

30 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch EMERGENCY In Case of Emergency Questions and Tips for the Trucking Industry Find other emergency information, including links and announcements on the OTA website: www.ortrucking.org/ emergency OREGON HAS ALREADY EXPERIENCED wildfires, flooding, and landslides this year, and it’s possible we’ll have some severe snow and icy conditions, too. Here’s what you can expect in the event of an emergency: How to Obtain Real-Time Information in Emergency Situations ODOT has a variety of online resources. Trucking Advisories offer specialized email alerts specifically for freight haulers. These were particularly useful during Oregon’s fire season this year. Most people in the state of Oregon are also familiar with TripCheck . This resource is not only useful to check local weather conditions and up-to-the-minute camera views in select areas, but since the 2017 Eclipse, ODOT has improved the system to include live traffic flow. You can zoom into a certain area to see delays, road closures, and more. Flash Alerts are perfect for local updates. In addition, ODOT is also very active on social media (Twitter/Facebook) and will usually post real-time updates there. If you are not able to access the internet, you can dial 511 within Oregon for information. All these resources are available to anyone that signs up or utilizes the links, and are not always specific to motor carriers. Emergency Protocol and Information for Carriers All emergencies begin on a local level, then go to the county who defines the severity of the situation and whether it should go to the state level. The state will then determine if a “State of Emergency” should be declared. If it’s determined the emergency is severe and spans more than the local area, the declaration must go to Governor’s office for approval. To determine the severity of the emergency, certain criteria come into play. Requirements to escalate the emergency could include: the size of the emergency, the area that’s impacted, the need to reroute traffic, and whether supplies, resources, and personnel will need to be delivered. If certain criteria are met, one of two things can happen. The first scenario would be on a federal level, and the issue would go through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)to declare a national emergency. The second scenario requires ODOT to work with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to request emergency relief declaration (only for impacts to transportation infrastructure). If a situation threatens public health or safety, the situation will take precedence over another issue. For example, in northwest Oregon, farmers were struggling to get milk to processing plants, and ODOT temporarily waived hours of service regulations. ODOT has the authority to provide relief of some regulations for 72 hours. This allows the agency to provide relief in localized emergencies. Anything beyond that time period requires a declaration by the Governor. If there is an exemption, ODOT will name who it applies to, and will often use a flash alert. Small localized events, such as a downed powerline, can be addressed without a declaration. Federal safety regulations can be waived by the Governor for 30 days. Extensions of that waiver must be coordinated with FMCSA. ODOT also tries to work with neighboring states to keep those lines of communication open with regard to emergency situations. If, for example, Washington had a massive fire, ODOT would work with FMCSA and the Governor’s office to coordinate services as needed. The goal is to eliminate situations where power or service companies, trying to travel to an emergency to provide relief, are not held up at a state border. Oversize/Overweight Permits Keep in mind, the only thing that ODOT cannot waive is an oversize/overweight requirement. These requirements are only waived as part of a federal emergency declaration under the Stafford Act. Here’s the reason why: a waiver could potentially create another emergency. Think about a tall load that’s traveling through a tunnel. If it’s too tall, it could cause damage to the tunnel, the truck/trailer, or other vehicles. It’s not about the “piece of paper;” it’s about making sure the route is open and safe to travel on or for a carrier/emergency responder to get to the destination. ODOT is usually aware of natural disasters. Carriers responding to an emergency that request an over-dimensional permit during normal business hours will be placed at the top of the list. It is important to communicate the permit is needed in response to an emergency.