A waiver has been signed that extends the maximum driving time for motor carriers who transport fuels.

Transportation Secretary Leslie S. Richards signed the hours of service waiver, which went into effect at midnight Tuesday, and extends the maximum driving time to 14 hours.The waiver remains in effect until Feb. 6 at 11:59 p.m.Don Fegley, owner of Fegley Oil Company Inc., Tamaqua, offered his thoughts on the matter."Normally if we have bad weather, sometimes it takes longer to get around to deliver fuel oil to the houses because of the snow getting to the houses where the fill pipes are," Fegley said. "We encourage everybody to try to clear a path for delivery men. Sometimes they're hard to find, too, in the snow."Lisa Hiles, office manager at Hiles Bros. Plumbing, Heating & Fuel Co. in Summit Hill, said she believes the waiver affects bigger companies more."It actually doesn't affect us; that's like big tanker drivers," Hiles said. "So, like our guys work probably between 30-40 hours a week delivering oil, not 60 or 70."Lindsay Jerolaman, marketing specialist for R.F. Ohl in Lehighton, said she believes the action will have a positive impact on her company."We'll be able to do more deliveries in a day," Jerolaman said. "That would be more beneficial for customers and companies."Per the waiver, exemption is also granted from the requirements of the 60/70-hour limits rule, which requires drivers to stop driving upon accumulating 60 or 70 on-duty hours (including all on-duty and driving time) over a period of seven or eight consecutive days, respectively.Any period of seven or eight consecutive days may end with the beginning of any off-duty period of 34 or more consecutive hours.Drivers are reminded that the waiver must be in their possession when traveling extended hours.This also only applies when the contents being transported are exclusively listed under the "Type of Operation."For the latest information regarding the state's response emergency response efforts, visit

www.pema.pa.gov.