Georgia and Texas have each moved to soften the impact of record diesel prices on freight haulers, while federal regulators declined a request for relief from electronic logging device rules, according to a September 29 trucking news digest from Overdrive.
In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp suspended state gasoline and diesel taxes for 30 days, through October 29. The state's excise tax stands at 33.3 cents a gallon on gasoline and 37.3 cents a gallon on diesel. The order also raised the weight limit for commercial vehicles to 95,000 pounds.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster proclamation that widens the permitted use of dyed diesel on public roads and lifts weight limits to 95,000 pounds for fuel, agricultural and timber loads. Abbott also asked the Environmental Protection Agency to waive ultra-low sulfur diesel requirements.
On the federal side, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rejected a petition from the Federation of Professional Truckers seeking relief from the electronic logging device mandate. The agency said the requirement comes from Congress through the MAP-21 highway bill and that it cannot grant a blanket exemption for any driver or carrier.
The measures come as diesel costs strain fleets across the Southeast. Earlier this month, Georgia's average diesel price approached $6.34 a gallon, and truckers reported single fill-ups costing more than $1,000.
Source: Overdrive -- https://www.overdriveonline.com/electronic-logging-devices/article/15836197/fmcsa-denies-eld-exemption-more-instate-dyeddiesel-relief