HOS compliance: fuel hauler waiver now covers ethanol

Fuel haulers have a wider hours-of-service waiver to work with, and HOS compliance depends on knowing exactly where it stops. FMCSA issued an amendment on Oct. 15, 2026 that added ethanol and denatured ethanol to the fuels covered by its nationwide waiver for fuel haulers. The waiver caps driving at 16 hours in any 24-hour period for interstate carriers and drivers hauling diesel, gasoline, ethanol and denatured ethanol. Heating oil is a narrower case. It is covered only when hauled in a compartmentalized cargo-tank load with one or more of the four listed fuels, and it can be no more than 75% of the total shipment at the time of loading. According to the FMCSA waiver notice, the waiver took effect Sept. 16, 2026 and expires Dec. 16, 2026. Read the notice itself before you rely on it for a load.