FMCSA renews hazmat safety permit paperwork: who needs an HMSP and what records to keep
A notice publishing Nov. 2 opens a 30-day comment window. FMCSA counts 1,142 permit holders and nearly 800,000 hours a year of check-in records.
FMCSA is asking the White House budget office to renew the paperwork rules behind its Hazardous Materials Safety Permit program.
The notice went on public inspection on Oct. 30 and is scheduled to publish in the Federal Register on Nov. 2 (docket FMCSA-2026-0991). The rules themselves do not change. But it is a good time to check whether your operation needs a permit, and whether your records would pass.
The numbers in the notice
According to the notice:
- 1,142 motor carriers are expected to respond
- 5 minutes to keep each daily communication record per driver
- Carriers and drivers must communicate at least two times per day
- 9,592,800 trips a year, for a total burden of 799,400 hours
- The current approval (OMB control number 2126-0030) expires Nov. 30, 2026
FMCSA received no comments on its earlier 60-day notice. Comments on this one are due 30 days after the Nov. 2 publication and go through reginfo.gov.
Who needs an HMSP
Under 49 CFR 385.403, you cannot haul these materials, interstate or intrastate, without a safety permit:
- A highway route-controlled quantity of Class 7 (radioactive) material
- More than 25 kg (55 lb) net of Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 explosives, or a placarded amount of Division 1.5
- More than 1 liter per package of a material poisonous by inhalation, Hazard Zone A
- A Hazard Zone B poison-inhalation material in bulk packaging
- A Hazard Zone C or D poison-inhalation material in packaging of 3,500 gallons or more
- Methane, natural gas or other gas that is at least 85% methane, compressed or refrigerated liquid, in bulk packaging of 3,500 gallons or more
What has to be on the truck
Section 385.415 requires each vehicle hauling a permitted load to carry:
- A copy of the safety permit, or a document clearly showing the FMCSA Safety Permit number
- A written route plan (under 397.101 for radioactive loads, or 397.67 for Division 1.1 to 1.3 explosives)
- A phone number for someone at the carrier who knows the route and can confirm the truck is in the expected area
That phone must be answered directly by a person at all times while the load is moving or in storage incidental to transport. An answering machine does not count.
The check-in records
Permit holders must have a communications plan for tracking the shipment. Each contact needs the time of the call and the location of the shipment. The driver can log it, for example in the logbook, or the company can keep it.
Keep those records, on paper or electronically, for at least six months at your principal place of business, or where employees there can readily get them.
New permit applicants file through the Unified Registration System (Form MCSA-1). Updates and renewals use Form MCS-150B.