The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has extended its regional emergency declaration for most of the continental United States and Washington, D.C. The emergency order, originally issued on January 10, will now remain in effect until February 15. This extension comes in response to challenges posed by severe winter storms and extremely low temperatures that have significantly impacted fuel demand.
What the Declaration Covers
The emergency declaration provides temporary relief from maximum driving time requirements for motor carriers and drivers directly involved in delivering essential fuels. These include heating fuel, propane, natural gas, heating oil, gasoline, and diesel. The order applies to trucking operations across all 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia.
FMCSA clarifies that “direct assistance” refers to transportation and services directly tied to restoring essential supplies and services. However, it does not cover long-term infrastructure repairs or routine commercial shipments. For example, mixed cargo loads containing only a small quantity of qualifying emergency relief supplies are not eligible under this provision.
Conditions and Restrictions
Motor carriers or drivers under an existing out-of-service order are not permitted to operate under this emergency declaration unless they meet the necessary compliance requirements.
Once the emergency relief efforts are complete, carriers and drivers must adhere to standard hours-of-service regulations. However, drivers may return empty to their terminals or regular work-reporting locations. When transitioning from emergency operations back to standard commercial activities, a mandatory 10-hour rest period is required if total working hours—combining emergency relief and regular operations—reach or exceed 14 hours.
Additional State-Level Relief
While the FMCSA’s order serves as a national measure, individual states may offer additional relief for carriers and drivers. As of Tuesday, January 28, nine states have localized emergency declarations in place to support fuel transportation and other critical needs.
Source: Land Line
