The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued guidance that exempts truck drivers who are traveling alone from a federal face mask requirement.
The CDC order was issued on January 29 as a follow-up to an executive order issued by President Biden on January 21 requiring masking during interstate travel in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The order requires masking by both workers and travelers in at transportation hubs, including U.S. ports of entry, airports, on commercial aircraft, on trains, in public maritime vessels including ferries, and on busses.
The CDC order specifically exempts “commercial motor vehicles or trucks … if the driver is the sole occupant of the truck” from the mask requirement during travel.
Solo drivers who are exempt will still be required to comply with masking requirements while at a a private facility like a shipper/receiver or a truck stop and when they enter a transportation hub.
The CDC order also requires transportation hub operators to use best efforts to require the use of face masking by people who enter or occupy the hub. These efforts include forbidding entry to a person without a mask, monitoring people for mask wearing, removing people who refuse to wear a mask, and reminding people that failure to wear a mask in a transportation hub is a violation of federal law.
You can view the full CDC order here.