FMCSA Grants Temporary Hours-of-Service Relief for Fertilizer Transportation
On May 26, 2026, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in coordination with USDA, issued a temporary waiver providing hours-of-service (HOS) relief for drivers transporting fertilizer products for agricultural purposes. The waiver was issued in response to fertilizer supply shortages during the spring and summer application season. The waiver took effect immediately and remains in place through Aug. 26, 2026, and applies to 35 states.
For covered fertilizer shipments, FMCSA is temporarily waiving:
- Federal hours-of-service limits under 49 CFR 395.3
- The electronic logging device (ELD) requirement under 49 CFR 395.8(a)(1)(i)
The waiver applies to the transportation of straight or blended fertilizer products intended for commercial agricultural use.
The waiver does not exempt drivers or carriers from all safety requirements. Operations conducted under the waiver must still comply with several conditions, including:
- No more than 16 hours of driving in any 24-hour period
- At least 6 consecutive hours in a sleeper berth, or 8 consecutive hours off duty if no sleeper berth is available
- Drivers must be permitted to stop and rest as needed
- A mandatory 10 consecutive hours off duty before returning to normal operations
- Paper records of duty status when ELDs are not required
- Compliance with all CDL, vehicle safety, insurance, and drug and alcohol testing requirements.
The waiver does not apply to placarded hazardous materials. For fertilizer operations, this includes products such as anhydrous ammonia and other placarded fertilizer shipments.
Additional information and the full FMCSA waiver can be viewed here.