FMCSA COVID Waiver Now Includes Propane: Caution Advised

This May, FMCSA extended and expanded its longstanding nationwide emergency declaration to waive the hours of service requirements for entities providing direct relief direct assistance to the immediate restoration of essential services (such as medical care) or essential supplies related to COVID-19 during the emergency. FMCSA recently expanded the declaration to include propane and heating oil transportation. However, the declaration is not similar to hours of service waivers that the propane industry receives during the winter heating season. Unlike traditional waivers, the COVID-19 declaration requires companies to report routes and drivers that utilized the declaration. These reports are due to FMCSA every 5 days for as long as the company uses the declaration. The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) cautions propane companies to carefully review the terms and conditions of the COVID-19 declaration to ensure that the declaration applies to the customers served and that the company’s transportation operations adhere to the additional reporting requirements of the declaration. The waiver tentatively expires on May 31, 2022.

Click here to download the waiver.

Click here for the reporting portal.