Washington's Meal and Rest Break Rules for Drivers of Commercial Motor Vehicles; Petition for Determination of Preemption

Résumé

FMCSA grants the petition submitted by the Washington Trucking Associations (WTA) requesting a determination that the State of Washington's Meal and Rest Break rules (MRB rules) are preempted as applied to property-carrying commercial motor vehicle drivers subject to FMCSA's hours of service (HOS) regulations. Federal law provides for preemption of State laws on commercial motor vehicle safety that are additional to or more stringent than Federal regulations if they (1) have no safety benefit; (2) are incompatible with Federal regulations; or (3) would cause an unreasonable burden on interstate commerce. FMCSA has determined that Washington's MRB rules are laws on commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety, that they are more stringent than the Agency's HOS regulations, that they have no safety benefits that extend beyond those that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) already provide, that they are incompatible with the Federal HOS regulations, and that they cause an unreasonable burden on interstate commerce. The Washington MRB rules, therefore, are preempted.