FMCSA Extends COVID-19 Emergency Another 45 Days

We were hoping on August 31st, the last day of the previous extension, that it would be the last. In the final hours, however, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has extended the Declaration another 45 days. This is the first time that the regulatory body has extended it by this period of time, usually opting for either a month-by-month update or once every ninety days. Could this change be a signal of the end?

Details

While the change of length for how long the Declaration has been extended is interesting, the list of goods allowed in hauling has not been changed. These include:

• Livestock and livestock feed
• Medical supplies and equipment related to the testing, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19
• Vaccines, constituent products, and medical supplies and equipment including ancillary supplies/kits for the administration of vaccines, related to the prevention of COVID-19
• Supplies and equipment necessary for community safety, sanitation, and prevention of community transmission of COVID-19 such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, soap, and disinfectants
• Food, paper products, and other groceries for emergency restocking of distribution centers or stores
• Gasoline, diesel, diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), jet fuel, ethyl alcohol, and heating fuel including propane, natural gas, and heating oil.

One update of interest is that the FMCSA is now requiring fleets hauling under this exemption to, within five days of the end of each month, report their use of the Declaration at this webpage. Our guess would be that the federal government is taking stock of how much people are relying on this declaration to decide whether or not to extend it.

You can read the entirety of the Declaration at the relevant webpage.

Conclusion

With the pandemic mostly behind us, this Declaration regarding coronavirus has been extended numerous times (we have lost count), lasting around thirty months in total so far. As nice as it is to have hours-of-service suspended in order to provide necessary goods to fight COVID-19, the 45 day window and order to report usage shows that the FMCSA may just be as tired of COVID-19 news as you are.

ABOUT TOPMARK FUNDING

TopMark Funding is a top-rated semi-truck financing and trailer financing company located in Roseville, CA. We specialize in commercial trucking and heavy equipment. Our mission is to become your long-term financial partner by helping you grow your trucking business and fleet.

We’re not here for the short-term, we’re on the long-haul with you!

We have financing options for trailers, semi-trucks, commercial trucks, and small businesses. We have great rates, low down payments, and flexible monthly payments regardless of credit history.

Learn more about Trailer Financing.

Fill out the contact form or give us a call at (866) 627-6644. One of our truck financing specialists will contact you as soon as possible to go over your truck lease needs and learn more about you and your business financing goals.