In response to Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration declared a regional emergency declaration in 26 states. This means hours of service regulations for truckers hauling gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, propane and other home heating fuels have been suspended.
The exemption also applies to carriers and drivers “providing direct assistance to the emergency in the States of Texas and Louisiana.” The waiver for fuel haulers and relief load haulers will remain in effect until the emergency situation has been declared over or until Sept. 24 — whichever comes first, said the FMCSA.
The agency made a regional emergency declaration in the 26 states “in anticipation of a regional shortage of fuel products,” it says, stemming from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Harvey.
Refineries accounting for nearly a third of the entire country’s refinery capacity have been shut down or slowed due to the torrential flooding and other damage wrought by the storm.
The agency says carriers and drivers can obtain more resources on its website.
