FMCSA Extends Northeast Truck Hours Amid Winter Emergency

SECAUCUS, NJ (DTN) – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) on Wednesday (12/24) extended an emergency declaration for nine Northeast states that suspends the limits on a truck driver’s hours to facilitate the movement of critical heating fuels.

Originally issued on December 12 for four states, the amended order now covers Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, the FMCSA said.

The waiver, active through January 15, allows truckers to exceed daily and weekly driving limits when transporting propane, natural gas, and heating oil, the agency said.

The extension responds to a dual-threat to regional energy security – persistent severe winter weather and a major power outage at the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex in Pennsylvania. The outage at the Energy Transfer-operated hub has severely disrupted propane loading, resulting in extreme truck backups at secondary distribution terminals across the region.

The FMCSA noted the move is essential to mitigate an “immediate risk to public health” as mid-December inventories remain under pressure from restricted terminal throughput.