What happened
FMCSA issued a nationwide waiver effective at 12:00 a.m. on Sept. 16, 2026, through 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 16, 2026, for motor carriers and drivers transporting gasoline and diesel fuel in interstate commerce. The agency waived the property-carrier hours limits in 49 CFR 395.3 because of global supply disruptions and possible late-summer and fall demand. A covered driver may drive no more than 16 hours in any 24-hour period, even when another exception, exemption or declaration also applies.
What drivers should do
The waiver has strict rest and eligibility conditions. In each 24-hour period, a driver must take at least six consecutive hours in a sleeper berth, or eight consecutive off-duty hours if the vehicle has no sleeper berth. The driver needs a valid CDL and every required endorsement, must not be disqualified or under an out-of-service order, and must carry a physical or digital copy of the waiver. Carriers with a conditional safety rating and carriers or drivers under an out-of-service order are not eligible. If a driver asks for immediate rest, the carrier must allow a safe stop and at least 10 consecutive hours off duty. A 10-hour break is also required when moving back to normal operations after 14 or more combined hours under the waiver and normal operations.
Why this matters to our community
This is not general HOS relief for ordinary freight, and it does not waive CDL, drug and alcohol, insurance, hazardous-materials, size, weight, route or other federal and state requirements. Dispatchers should confirm that the load is gasoline or diesel, give the driver the waiver, document when the relief is used and never pressure a fatigued driver to continue. Small carriers must report to FMCSA within two business days any qualifying crash involving a driver operating under the waiver and should preserve the required crash and duty-time information. Before a trip, verify the current official waiver, endorsements, vehicle documents, route and state requirements; the empty return to the terminal or normal reporting location is covered, subject to the same immediate-rest protection. Useful English terms include waiver, eligible carrier, 24-hour period, consecutive hours, sleeper berth, out-of-service order, conditional safety rating and crash notification.