The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has expanded the nationwide hours-of-service relief available to interstate fuel haulers, in an amendment reported by the trucking publication Overdrive on Thursday, October 22.

Source: Overdrive

FMCSA first issued the 90-day waiver on September 16, covering drivers and motor carriers transporting gasoline and diesel fuel through December 16. The waiver exempts eligible drivers from the maximum driving-time rules in 49 CFR 395.3.

In an amendment issued October 15, the agency added ethanol and denatured ethanol to the covered commodities. Carriers and drivers may also operate under the waiver when transporting heating oil as part of a compartmentalized load with one or more of the waiver's covered fuel products, provided the heating oil is no more than 75% of the total shipment at the time of loading.

What drivers operating under the waiver must follow

Under the waiver's terms, a driver may drive no more than 16 hours in any 24-hour period, and must take a minimum break of six consecutive hours in the sleeper berth in each 24-hour period — or at least eight consecutive hours off duty if the truck has no sleeper berth.

Drivers must hold a valid commercial driver's licence (CDL) with all necessary endorsements for the load being carried, must not be subject to an out-of-service order, disqualification or loss of driving privileges, and must keep a physical or digital copy of the waiver in their possession and present it to law enforcement on request. Motor carriers with a conditional safety rating are not eligible for the relief.

The waiver also carries a fatigue safeguard: if a driver tells the carrier that immediate rest is needed, the driver must be allowed to find a suitable, safe resting place at once and take at least 10 consecutive hours off duty before driving again.

The Trucker, another national trucking publication, reported the same waiver terms, including the December 16 end date and the requirement that drivers carry a copy of the waiver while operating under it.

Source: The Trucker

For Punjabi and other immigrant truckers who make up a large share of North America's fuel-haul workforce, the practical point is narrow but important: the extra hours apply only to the listed fuel loads, only until December 16, and only when every condition above is met — the waiver is not a general exemption from hours-of-service rules.