Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Dec. 15, 2025:
- A program that gave qualified motor carriers benefits in Oregon is being discontinued.
- Winter storm conditions in Northeast prompted FMCSA and an individual state to declare emergencies, waiving HOS regs for certain haulers in five total states.
Oregon DOT ending Trusted Carrier Partner Program
The Oregon Department of Transportation announced last week that it will discontinue its Trusted Carrier Partner Program, as well as increase fines for household goods moving companies that don’t follow state law.
Oregon DOT
Trusted Carrier Partner plates previously issued under the program do not need to be removed or returned, ODOT said, but any Trusted Carrier Partner plates that remain on vehicles will hold no operational meaning or benefits on or after Jan. 1, ODOT said.
[Related: Oregon funding package hikes fuel tax, aims at weight-mile simplification]
Also effective Jan. 1, ODOT will be increasing fines for moving companies found to be operating without a certificate in the state. Currently, those companies are fined $1,000. Legislation passed in the state this year raises that fine to $3,000 and expands the law to also include offering, advertising or transporting without a certificate.
“ODOT’s certification process involves background checks and adherence to approved rates and procedures to protect Oregonians from deceitful and unsafe practices, like charging too much, damaging items or stealing belongings,” said ODOT Commerce and Compliance Division Investigation and Compliance Manager Leah Cisneros. “We strongly recommend checking our website before hiring a moving company to make sure the company is ODOT certified.”
The move comes amid a fight over fuel tax in Oregon that was set to go into effect later in 2026, yet which has sparked a campaign against it that recent reports suggest mean it won't be implemented as planned. With the fuel-tax hike, legislators also hoped to simplify weight-mile levies placed on trucking businesses operating in the state.
FMCSA declares regional emergency in response to winter storms
A Regional Emergency Declaration issued Dec. 12 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration waives the maximum driving time hours-of-service regulation for truck drivers transporting certain commodities in four states.
The declaration covers drivers hauling heating fuel, including propane, natural gas, and heating oil in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
FMCSA said the declaration was issued “in response to winter storms and cold weather in the affected states and a power outage at a major gas refinery and industrial complex in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, severely disrupting the flow of propane and the current and anticipated effects on people and property, including the immediate risk to public health, safety and welfare.”
Motor carriers and truck drivers providing direct assistance to the emergency in the affected states are granted emergency relief from 49 Code of Federal Regulations 395.3, maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles, through Dec. 26, or until the end of the emergency, whichever is earlier.
[Related: Hours regs waived in two states for certain heating fuel haulers]
New Hampshire declares winter emergency
While not included in FMCSA’s regional emergency described above, the state of New Hampshire has declared its own emergency “as a result of winter storms, CDL Driver shortages and below average cold temperatures,” according to the declaration.
Motor carriers providing delivery of propane and home heating oil to homes and businesses within New Hampshire are exempted from Part 395 (Hours of Service) of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.
Drivers that operate under the declaration must have a copy in their possession. The waiver is effective through Jan. 4.
Drivers who utilize the exemption may come back into compliance and restart their hours-of-service clock after taking 34 hours off-duty at the end of their extended hours period.
