2009 Connecticut Code
Title 14 Motor Vehicles. Use of the Highway By Vehicles. Gasoline
Chapter 248 Vehicle Highway Use
Sec. 14-274. Hours of operators of motor vehicles with commercial registration or requiring a passenger endorsement or a passenger and school endorsement.

      Sec. 14-274. Hours of operators of motor vehicles with commercial registration or requiring a passenger endorsement or a passenger and school endorsement. (a) No person shall operate, nor shall the owner require or permit any person to operate, any motor vehicle with a commercial registration or a motor vehicle for which a passenger endorsement or passenger and school endorsement is required on the highways of this state, when such operator has been continuously on duty for more than twelve hours, and, after a driver has been continuously on duty for twelve hours, he shall not operate, nor shall the owner require or permit him to operate, any such motor vehicle on the highways of this state until he has had at least eight consecutive hours off duty.

      (b) No person shall operate, nor shall the owner require or permit any person to operate, any motor vehicle with a commercial registration or a motor vehicle for which a passenger endorsement or passenger and school endorsement is required on the highways of this state, when such operator has been on duty more than sixteen hours in the aggregate in any twenty-four-hour period, and, when an operator has been on duty sixteen hours in any twenty-four-hour period, he shall not operate, nor shall the owner require or permit him to operate, a motor vehicle with a commercial registration or a motor vehicle for which a passenger endorsement or passenger and school endorsement is required on the highways of this state, until he has had at least ten consecutive hours off duty. The periods of release from duty herein required shall be given at such places and under such circumstances that rest and relaxation from the strain of the duties of employment may be obtained. No period off duty shall be deemed to break the continuity of service unless it is for at least three consecutive hours at a place where there is opportunity for rest. In case of an unforeseen emergency, the driver may complete his run or tour of duty if such run or tour of duty, but for the delay caused by such emergency, would reasonably have been completed without a violation of the provisions of this section. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may make such regulations as he deems advisable to insure proper enforcement of this section.

      (c) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any public service company vehicle with a commercial registration when such vehicle is used to transport passengers or property to or from any portion of the state for the purpose of relief or assistance in the case of major loss of utility service, a disaster or other state of emergency declared by the Governor. For the purposes of this subsection (1) "disaster" shall include, but not be limited to, a hurricane, snowstorm, ice storm, flood, fire or earthquake, and (2) "major loss of utility service" means any unplanned outage or interruption, or the imminent risk of outage or interruption, of electric, gas or telephone service, or of service to electric transmission or distribution lines, gas distribution or transmission facilities, electric generation facilities, or other related facilities, or any circumstance related to utility service under which the public safety is at risk, including, but not limited to, any situation where police, fire or other public safety personnel have requested a response by an electric, gas or telephone company to an accident or other situation that presents a hazard to the public. A major loss of utility service begins when the public service company receives notice of the outage, interruption or hazard, or receives notice of the existence of conditions reasonably likely to result in outages, interruptions or hazards, and continues until any necessary maintenance or repair is completed and personnel utilized to perform such necessary maintenance or repair have returned to their regular work routines.

      (d) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall, for a first offense, be deemed to have committed an infraction, and for each subsequent offense shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars.

      (1949 Rev., S. 2425; P.A. 82-223, S. 19; P.A. 83-577, S. 24; P.A. 90-263, S. 27, 74; P.A. 92-131, S. 1; P.A. 93-341, S. 24, 38; P.A. 04-199, S. 29.)

      History: P.A. 82-223 amended Subsec. (c) by specifying that the commission of a first offense constituted an infraction and lowering the maximum fine therefor from $100 to $90; P.A. 83-577 amended Subsec. (c) by deleting the provision specifying the fine for an infraction is not less than $25 nor more than $90; P.A. 90-263 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to substitute "motor vehicle with a commercial registration or a motor vehicle for which a public passenger transportation permit is required" for "commercial motor vehicle or public service motor vehicle"; P.A. 92-131 added new language as Subsec. (c), exempting public service company vehicles operating in the case of major loss of utility service, disaster or other declared state of emergency from provisions of this section and relettered former Subsec. (c) accordingly; P.A. 93-341 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) by replacing references to public passenger transportation permits with references to passenger endorsements and passenger and school endorsements, effective July 1, 1994; P. A. 04-199 amended Subsec. (c) by designating definition of "disaster" as Subdiv. (1) and adding Subdiv. (2) defining "major loss of utility service", effective July 1, 2004.

      Cited. 144 C. 659. Cited. 152 C. 496.