U.S. Temporarily Eases Fuel Truck Driver Hours as Diesel Prices Hit Record
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday the Trump administration is temporarily relaxing hours-of-service rules for truck drivers hauling gasoline and diesel, citing supply and cost concerns.
The 90-day waiver takes effect Wednesday. It allows drivers to operate up to 16 hours within a 24-hour window, compared with 14 hours under existing rules, as long as they take required rest breaks.
Duffy said the waiver was needed because short-term supply-chain disruptions could delay gasoline and diesel shipments and affect freight deliveries.
The move comes as the U.S. average diesel price hit a record $6.29 a gallon, up from $3.74 a year ago, according to the Energy Information Administration, as the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and Ukraine's attacks on Russian refineries squeeze supply.
The department's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it acted “in anticipation of the need for greater hours-of-service flexibility.” It said the waiver was intended to respond to global supply disruptions and expected increases in gasoline and diesel demand in the late summer and fall.
The agency added that the step also aims to soften the impact on fuel costs and availability for transport providers, agricultural harvesting and the public as demand grows.
Global diesel supplies are expected to remain tight because of limited spare refining capacity, Russia's export ban and the approach of peak winter demand.
The waiver excludes motor carriers with conditional safety ratings. A driver who needs immediate rest is allowed 10 consecutive hours off duty before resuming work, the agency said.
Such emergency orders have routinely been used to address natural disasters and emergencies such as wildfires, hurricanes and winter storms.
In March 2020, a national emergency order waived service requirements for commercial vehicle drivers transporting emergency coronavirus relief, food for emergency restocks, and supplies and equipment ranging from masks to disinfectant.
The 90-day relief may give fuel haulers and agricultural shippers more scheduling room during a period of tight inventories and rising demand, while keeping core rest rules in place and barring carriers with conditional safety ratings. It also underscores how refining constraints and geopolitical disruption are feeding into U.S. fuel prices and freight costs.
Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Clarence Fernandez