(625 ILCS 5/18b-106.2)

Sec. 18b-106.2. Hours of service; utility service interruption emergencies.

(a) As used in this Section:

"Commercial driver's license" has the meaning set forth in Section 1-111.6 of this Code.

"Commercial motor vehicle" has the meaning set forth in Section 18b-101 of this Code.

"Utility service interruption emergency" means an outage or interruption of utility service in Illinois occasioned by a set of circumstances included in the definition of "emergency" set forth at 49 CFR 390.5.

"Utility service" means the repairing, maintaining, or operating of any structures or any other physical facilities necessary for the delivery of utility services, including the furnishing of electric, gas, water, sanitary sewer, telephone, and television cable or community antenna service.

"Utility service vehicle" has the meaning set forth in 49 CFR 395.2.

(b) Upon receipt of notification of a utility service interruption emergency by a utility service provider, the Illinois Department of Transportation shall declare that an emergency exists pursuant to 49 CFR 390.23. Should an audit by the Illinois Department of Transportation establish that there has been an abuse of the notification procedure by a utility service provider, the Illinois Department of Transportation may refuse to grant emergency declarations to that utility service provider in the future without further confirmation of the existence of a utility service interruption emergency.

(c) A utility service interruption emergency continues until:

(1) the necessary maintenance or repair work is completed; and

(2) personnel used to perform necessary maintenance or repair work have returned to their respective normal work routines.

(d) An individual is exempt from any regulation of the maximum hours of service that an employee may work under 49 CFR 395 if he or she:

(1) is the holder of a commercial driver's license;

(2) is:

(A) an employee;

(B) an employee of a contractor; or

(C) an employee of a subcontractor;

of a utility service provider in an employment capacity in which the commercial driver's license is used; and

(3) operates a commercial motor vehicle as a utility service vehicle and engages in intrastate maintenance or repair work in response to a utility service interruption emergency.

(e) The exemption from maximum hours of service regulations provided under subsection (d) shall not exceed the duration of the utility service provider's or driver's direct assistance in providing utility service interruption emergency relief, or 5 days from the date of the initial declaration, whichever is less.

(f) Nothing in this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly shall be construed to contravene any federal law or to jeopardize State of Illinois entitlement to federal funding. If any provision of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly or its application is found to jeopardize federal funding, that provision is declared invalid but does not affect any other provision or application. The provisions of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly are declared to be severable.

(Source: P.A. 94-1, eff. 5-23-05.)