The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is coordinating with the following states that have Declared Emergency Declarations. We recommend you check each State's Web site and search for "Issued Emergency Declarations" if you are interested in more details. For those carriers or drivers interested in providing services or need to understand FMCSA regulations, the following applies:

Emergency Declaration Information
To provide vital supplies and transportation services to a disaster area in the United States, emergency declarations may be issued by the President, Governors of States, or FMCSA. These declarations trigger the temporary suspension of certain Federal safety regulations, including Hours of Service, for motor carriers and drivers engaged in specific aspects of the emergency relief effort. See 49 CFR 390.23 for the actual emergency regulation.

Relief from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations is limited to a maximum of 30 days, unless extended by FMCSA itself.

The information below reflects currently available relief:

1. These Federal exemptions, when in effect, only apply to 49 CFR Parts 390-399. They do NOT apply to CDL, drug/alcohol, hazardous materials, size & weight, or State/Federal registration and tax requirements. (However, a Governor's Declaration may add some of those exemptions—read the declaration for details.)
2. Even if an Emergency Declaration is still in effect, the emergency must be on-going and you must be providing direct emergency relief in order to be exempt from safety regulations.
3. The list of Emergency Declarations below may not be complete. Declarations may be in effect even if not listed here.
4. Drivers and carriers should coordinate with State and Federal emergency officials before providing assistance.
5. Even though safety regulations may be suspended, drivers and carriers are expected to use good judgment and not operate vehicles with fatigued or ill drivers, or under any conditions presenting a clear hazard to other motorists using the highways.

FMCSA will update the Web site as new information becomes available.

Emergency Declarations

• Alabama (PDF), issued on 8/26/2012
• Louisiana (PDF), issued on 8/26/2012
• Mississippi (PDF), issued on 8/26/2012
• Florida (PDF), issued on 8/25/2012