FMCSA issues regional interstate HOS Waiver through Jan. 15

CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, AND WEST VIRGINIA

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a Regional Declaration of Emergency covering interstate transportation of heating fuels (heating oil, propane, and natural gas) through January 15, 2026.

Please encourage drivers to carry a copy of the declaration in their truck. Thanks to EMA, the following language demonstrates to law enforcement questioning a driver’s eligibility while passing through a state that is not included in the declaration, but is providing direct assistance to the emergency, is legally qualified to drive through those states without penalty.

This Emergency Declaration allows motor carriers and drivers providing direct assistance to the emergency in the Affected States are emergency relief from 49 CFR § 395.3, maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles

This is the language that is now included in the declarations: “The regulatory relief under this Emergency Declaration applies regardless of the origin of the trip, so long as the carrier or driver is providing direct assistance to the emergency in the Affected States.”

Midwest States (ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, OHIO, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, TENNESSEE, AND WISCONSIN) have also been issued a Regional Emergency Declaration for Heating Fuels effective 12/23/2025 and has been posted to the FMCSA website.