Emergency Declarations, Waivers, Exemptions and Permits

Overview

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 who need to understand FMCSA regulations, the following applies.

Category

• Declarations by FMCSA
• Federal Emergency Declarations by FMCSA Service Centers
• State Emergency Declarations by State
• Emergency Declaration Information

COVID-19 Updates

Description: FMCSA Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information & Resources

Declarations by FMCSA

Description: Expansion and Extension of the Modified Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 Under 49 CFR § 390.25 - 12-01-2020
Effective: 12/01/2020 | Expires on: In accordance with 49 CFR § 390.25, this expansion and extension of the modified Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 is effective at 12:00 A.M. (ET), December 1, 2020 and shall remain in effect until 11:59 P.M. (ET), February 28, 2021, or until the revocation of the Presidentially declared COVID-19 national emergency, whichever is sooner.

Description: Notice of Enforcement Discretion - Emergency Declaration No. 2020-007 - Hurricane Delta - 10-07-2020
Effective: 10/07/2020 | Expires on: This Notice will expire upon the termination or expiration of Regional Emergency Declaration 2020-007, including any future amendments and extensions.

Description: Notice of Enforcement Discretion - Emergency Declaration No. 2020-006 - Tropical Storm-Hurricane Sally - 09-14-2020
Effective: 09/14/2020 | Expires on: This Notice will expire upon the termination or expiration of Regional Emergency Declaration 2020-006, including any future amendments and extensions.

Description: Extension of the Modified Expanded Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 Under 49 CFR § 390.25 (September 11, 2020)
Effective: 09/11/2020 | Expires on: In accordance with 49 CFR § 390.25, this extension of Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 is effective at 12:00 A.M. (ET), September 15, 2020 and shall remain in effect until 11:59 P.M. (ET), December 31, 2020, or until the revocation of the Presidentially declared COVID-19 national emergency, whichever is sooner.

Description: Extension and Modification of the Modified Expanded Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 Under 49 CFR § 390.25 (August 11, 2020)
Effective: 08/11/2020 | Expires on: In accordance with 49 CFR § 390.25, this extension of Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 is effective at 12:00 A.M. (ET), August 15, 2020 and shall remain in effect until 11:59 P.M. (ET), September 14, 2020, or until the revocation of the Presidentially declared COVID-19 national emergency, whichever is sooner.

Description: Extension of the Modified Expanded Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 Under 49 CFR § 390.25 (July 13, 2020)
Effective: 07/13/2020 | Expires on: In accordance with 49 CFR § 390.25, this extension of Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 is effective at 12:00 A.M. (ET), July 15, 2020 and shall remain in effect until 11:59 P.M. (ET), August 14, 2020, or until the revocation of the Presidentially declared COVID-19 national emergency, whichever is sooner.

Description: Extension and Modification of Expanded Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 Under 49 CFR § 390.25 (Relating to COVID-19)
Effective: 06/08/2020 | Expires on: In accordance with 49 CFR § 390.25, this extension of Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 is effective at 12:00 A.M. (ET), June 15, 2020 and shall remain in effect until 11:59 P.M. (ET), July 14, 2020, or until the revocation of the Presidentially declared COVID-19 national emergency, whichever is sooner.

Description: Extension of Expanded Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 Under 49 CFR § 390.25 (Relating to COVID-19)
Effective: 05/13/2020 | Expires on: Shall remain in effect until 11:59 P.M. (ET), June 14, 2020, or until the revocation of the Presidentially declared COVID-19 national emergency, whichever is sooner.

Description: Notice of Enforcement Discretion - Emergency Declaration 2020-003 - Severe Storms - 04-13-2020
Effective: 04/13/2020 | Expires on: This Notice will expire upon the termination or expiration of Regional Emergency Declaration 2020-003, including any future amendments and extensions.

Description: Expanded Emergency Declaration Under 49 CFR § 390.23 No. 2020-002 (Relating to COVID-19)
Effective: 03/18/2020 | Expires on: In accordance with 49 CFR § 390.23, this declaration is effective immediately and shall remain in effect until the termination of the emergency (as defined in 49 CFR § 390.5) or until 11:59 P.M. (ET) on April 12, 2020, whichever occurs sooner.

Federal Emergency Declarations by FMCSA Service Centers

Southern, MidWest and Western Service Centers

Description: SSC-WSC-MSC - Amended Regional Emergency Declaration 2020-004 - Hurricanes-Tropical Storms Laura and Marco -8-27-2020 (ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, OKLAHOMA, TENNESSEE AND TEXAS)
Effective: 08/27/2020 | Expires on: In accordance with 49 CFR § 390.23, this declaration is effective immediately and shall remain in effect for the duration of the emergency (as defined in 49 CFR § 390.5) or until 11:59 P.M. (ET), September 23, 2020, whichever is less.

Southern and Western Service Centers

Description: SSC- WSC Regional Emergency Declaration Hurricane Delta (ALABAMA, FLORIDA, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI AND TEXAS)
Effective: 10/07/2020 | Expires on: In accordance with 49 CFR § 390.23, this declaration is effective immediately and shall remain in effect for the duration of the emergency (as defined in 49 CFR § 390.5) or until 11:59 P.M. (ET), November 6, 2020, whichever is less.

Description: SSC-WSC- Regional Emergency Declaration 2020-004 - Hurricanes-Tropical Storms Laura and Marco -8-24-2020 (ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA AND TENNESSEE)
Effective: 08/24/2020 | Expires on: In accordance with 49 CFR § 390.23, this declaration is effective immediately and shall remain in effect for the duration of the emergency (as defined in 49 CFR § 390.5) or until 11:59 P.M. (ET), September 23, 2020, whichever is less.

Southern Service Center

Description: SSC - Amended Regional Emergency Declaration 2020-006 - Tropical Storm-Hurricane Sally - 09-15-2020
Effective: 09/15/2020 | Expires on: In accordance with 49 CFR § 390.23, this declaration is effective immediately and shall remain in effect for the duration of the emergency (as defined in 49 CFR § 390.5) or until 11:59 P.M. (ET), October 14, 2020, whichever is less.

Description: SSC - Regional Emergency Declaration 2020-006 - Tropical Storm-Hurricane Sally - 09-14-2020
Effective: 09/15/2020 | Expires on: In accordance with 49 CFR § 390.23, this declaration is effective immediately and shall remain in effect for the duration of the emergency (as defined in 49 CFR § 390.5) or until 11:59 P.M. (ET), October 14, 2020, whichever is less.

Description: SSC - REGIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARATION UNDER 49 CFR § 390.23 No. 2020-003
Effective: 04/13/2020 | Expires on: In accordance with 49 CFR § 390.23, this declaration is effective immediately and shall remain in effect for the duration of the emergency (as defined in 49 CFR § 390.5) or until 11:59 P.M. (ET), May 13, 2020, whichever is less.

Description: SSC - TN - Regional Emergency Declaration 2020-001 - Severe Storms - 03-03-2020
Effective: 03/03/2020 | Expires on: shall remain in effect for the duration of the emergency (as defined in 49 CFR § 390.5) or until 11:59 P.M. (ET), April 2, 2020, whichever is less.

Western Service Center

Description: WSC-CA-OR - Extension of State Emergency Declarations - 10-14-2020
Effective: 10/14/2020 | Expires on: In accordance with 49 CFR § 390.25, this Extension of the Emergency Declarations is effective immediately and shall remain in effect for the duration of the emergency (as defined in 49 CFR § 390.5) or until 11:59 P.M. (ET), November 19, 2020, whichever is sooner.

Description: WSC-CA-OR-WA - Extension of State Emergency Declarations - 09-10-2020
Effective: 09/10/2020 | Expires on: This declaration of emergency shall remain in effect for the duration of the emergency (as defined in 49 CFR § 390.5) or until 11:59 P.M. (ET), October 19, 2020, whichever is sooner.

State Emergency Declarations by State

Alabama

Description: Alabama Hurricane Sally Emergency Declaration
Effective: 09/14/2020 | Expires on: TBD

Louisiana

Description: Louisiana Hurricane Zeta Emergency Declaration
Effective: 10/26/2020 | Expires on: This order is effective upon signature and shall remain in effect from Monday, October 26, 2020 to Tuesday, November 24, 2020, unless terminated sooner.

Description: Louisiana Emergency Declaration for Hurricane Delta
Effective: 10/07/2020 | Expires on: This order is effective upon signature and shall remain in effect from Tuesday, October 6, 2020 to Wednesday, November 4, 2020, unless terminated sooner.

Mississippi

Description: Mississippi State-of-Emergency-TS-Sally
Effective: 09/13/2020 | Expires on: TBD

North Carolina

Description: North Carolina Executive Order No. 175 - Transportation Waivers for Hurricane Zeta
Effective: 10/30/2020 | Expires on: This Executive Order is effective immediately and shall remain in effect for thirty (30) days or the duration of the emergency, whichever is less.

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. Drivers responding to provide "direct assistance" to an "emergency" meeting the definitions in 49 CFR 390.5 and declared by FMCSA or a governor, are exempt from applicable regulations in all States on their route to the emergency, even though those States may not be involved in the emergency or stated in the declaration of emergency.
2. These exemptions, when in effect, only apply to 49 CFR Parts 390-399. They do NOT exempt drivers/carriers from the requirements relating 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.)
3. Even if an Emergency Declaration is still in effect, the emergency must be on-going and you must be providing direct emergency assistance in order to be exempt from safety regulations.
4. The list of Emergency Declarations below may not be complete. Declarations may be in effect even if not listed here. Read the declaration itself for all details.
5. There is no requirement to carry a copy of the declaration in the vehicle unless stated so in the declaration itself.
6. Drivers and carriers should coordinate with State emergency officials before providing assistance. State regulations regarding size and weight, permits, taxes, etc. may not have been waived.
7. 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.