Tropical Storm Nicole could affect trucking industry

Florida is under threat of another tropical storm, only a month after the southwestern coastline was ravaged by Hurricane Ian. Both President Biden at the federal level and Governor Ron DeSantis at the state level have issued states of emergency for Florida, as reported by The Trucker.

When Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida and South Carolina last month, truck drivers stepped up to offer emergency and even volunteer support. This was backed by an hours-of-service waiver issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The same response could be necessary in response to Tropical Storm Nicole.

“We are forecasting it to become a hurricane as it nears the northwestern Bahamas, and remain a hurricane as it approaches the east coast of Florida,” said Daniel Brown, a senior hurricane specialist at the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

Assistance to Florida state, tribal and local efforts of storm response have been issued by Biden. Conditions in Florida began to worsen on Nov. 7, prompting such a response from Biden.

This action from the president grants the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “to coordinate all disaster relief efforts that have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe.”

A declaration for Tropical Storm Nicole emergency support efforts could also be issued by the FMCSA as it was for Hurricane Ian.

“It will affect huge parts of the state of Florida all day,” DeSantis said.

The trucking industry is always one to step up in the face of helping others. As Tropical Storm Nicole unfolds, the trucking industry could have to band together to help victims.