Trucking Safety Rules Affect Companies That Provide Firefighting Helicopters.

Publication: Mail Tribune (Medford, Oregon) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News)

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COPYRIGHT 2004 Mail Tribune

Byline: Greg Stiles

Jun. 18--Regulations designed for highway safety are hurting companies that provide helicopters to fight wildland fires.

Federal rules implemented in January limit truck drivers to 14 hours on duty in a 24-hour period. That essentially requires helicopter companies sending fuel trucks to remote sites to add a second driver.

That doesn't bode well for helicopter operators, already financially pinched by high fuel prices.

"To me, it's a no-brainer, because the drivers are working for short periods of time," said Mark Gibson, helicopter manager for Ashland-based Timberland Logging. "The majority of time is spent at the helipad waiting for the helicopter to come back."

Gibson first requested an interpretation of the rule in January and requested that the fuel trucks be classified as emergency vehicles because...

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