Minnesota grants truckers emergency HOS and 10% weight relief through Oct. 30

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed Emergency Executive Order 26-11 on Oct. 1, giving truckers temporary weight and hours-of-service relief during the fall harvest, according to truckdrivernews.com's account of the governor's announcement and the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. The order took effect immediately and stays in force until it is rescinded or Oct. 30, 2026, whichever comes first.

Under the order, qualifying vehicles can exceed normal weight limits by up to 10% while hauling specified agricultural and forest products — corn, soybeans, wheat, potatoes, carrots, sugar beets and forest products — from a harvest site to the first point of unloading. The weight allowance applies only on state and local highways in Minnesota, not on interstate highways, per Minnesota Department of Transportation guidance; trucks running above normal legal weight must stay off the interstate.

A separate provision temporarily relaxes hours-of-service requirements for motor carriers and drivers transporting diesel, fuel oil, gasoline, ethanol and biodiesel. Core safety rules stay in place: drivers must still meet qualification, CDL, drug-and-alcohol testing and equipment requirements, and state law includes rest provisions for drivers returning to normal operations once the emergency assistance ends.

The Walz administration tied the action to rapidly rising fuel costs — the governor's office said national diesel had climbed above $6.50 per gallon when the order was announced — along with heavy fuel demand from the fall harvest. It attributed the price increases in part to the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict and related market disruptions, and criticized federal trade policies in announcing the order. According to the governor's office, governors in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas have taken similar actions, though the specific rules vary by state.