Nebraska has temporarily relaxed trucking rules for gasoline and diesel deliveries as customers and retailers report supply shortages. Governor Jim Pillen’s October 19 executive order waives specified hours-of-service requirements and permits limited overweight loads through November 18. Its scope is narrower than a general suspension of trucking safeguards: the order excludes the Interstate system and expressly bars carriers from using ill or fatigued drivers.
The governor’s announcement said haulers have been traveling farther to obtain supplies and make deliveries. Pillen attributed the pressure to global supply disruptions and concentrated harvest demand. That is the administration’s explanation for the emergency action, not a measurement of how much fuel is missing from Nebraska’s supply chain.
Independent reporting by Nebraska Public Media journalists, published by The Reader, documented temporary availability problems at some Omaha-area stations. Casey’s acknowledged supply challenges at some locations and said it was working with suppliers to restore availability. The Nebraska Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association told the outlet that seasonal refinery changes, maintenance and harvest demand typically tighten supply, but described this year’s squeeze as worse than usual without identifying a definitive reason.
What the order changes
The signed order limits the waiver to hauling gasoline, ethanol blends of gasoline or diesel fuel. Eligible vehicles may exceed gross and axle-group limits by up to 10% without a permit, but no single axle may exceed 20,000 pounds, and posted bridge limits still apply. Drivers must carry a copy of the order.
The announcement also distinguishes this action from September measures addressing agricultural hauling and diesel costs. Those earlier orders remain effective until December 23; the new motor-fuel delivery relief ends at 11:59 p.m. November 18 under the signed document. Operators should not treat the separate deadlines or eligible loads as interchangeable.
Rest protections remain
Under the normal federal framework, property-carrying drivers generally may drive up to 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty and cannot drive beyond the fourteenth consecutive hour after coming on duty. The federal summary also generally requires a 30-minute interruption after eight cumulative hours of driving. Those baseline limits help explain what an emergency hours waiver changes; they are not a description of every exception or operating circumstance.
Nebraska’s waiver nevertheless requires at least 10 consecutive hours off duty for a driver who tells the carrier that immediate rest is needed. Drivers or carriers under an out-of-service order cannot use the relief until the applicable conditions are met and FMCSA rescinds that order in writing.
The immediate policy lever is therefore delivery capacity, not new fuel production. The governor’s stated objective is to improve access for farms, businesses and households. Neither the order nor the announcement guarantees a refill time for an individual station or establishes that shortages affect every Nebraska community.
