Truck drivers hauling fuel can work 16 hours under new FMCSA waiver
WASHINGTON , Truck drivers hauling gasoline and diesel can drive for up to 16 hours within a 24-hour window under a 90-day waiver announced Wednesday by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration waiver took effect Wednesday and expires on Dec. 16, raising the limit from the 14 hours normally allowed.
Drivers must still take a minimum six-hour break in their truck’s sleeper berth during the 24-hour period, according to the Transportation Department. If the vehicle does not have a separate bed area, the driver must take at least an eight-hour break during the same window.
The waiver applies to truck drivers “in good standing” and excludes “anyone with a conditional safety rating or an active out-of-service order,” the department said in a release.
“From unleashing American energy production to alleviating short-term supply chain pressures, the Trump Administration is constantly taking action to lower fuel prices,” Duffy wrote. “Our great American truckers will continue to haul the products that power America and keep our economy moving.”
Under the waiver, motor carriers must provide drivers with at least 10 consecutive hours of rest if they need it immediately and notify the FMCSA within two business days of a crash.
The national average price of a gallon of regular gas is roughly $4.44 as of Thursday, up from roughly $4.28 a week ago and $1.50 higher than two days before the U.S. and Israel launched the Iran war, according to AAA data. Diesel in the U.S. also costs roughly $6.40 per gallon as of Thursday, with Californians seeing an average price of about $8.35 per gallon, AAA reported.
The waiver comes as gas prices remain above $4 per gallon with the Middle East conflict approaching the seven-month mark. Restrictions on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz have constrained the global oil trade, affecting prices stateside despite the U.S. being a net exporter of oil.
President Trump on Wednesday reiterated his view that higher gas prices are worth enduring to ensure Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon.
“It’s a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done, remember that,” Trump said in North Carolina while stumping for GOP Senate candidate Michael Whatley.
The president also predicted fuel prices will “come tumbling down” once the conflict ends, which he said last week will occur after November’s midterms.
