BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Doug Burgum has signed an executive order granting an hours of service waiver for drivers of commercial vehicles transporting anhydrous ammonia and other fertilizers.
North Dakota farmers are facing a delayed spring planting season because of late winter snowfall and extended cold weather, giving them a shorter time frame for planting and fertilizing fields. Cold, wet conditions in other areas of the Midwest also have compressed the planting season and increased demand for fertilizer.
Waiving the hours of service requirements will ensure that haulers can deliver greater volumes of fertilizer in shorter periods of time to meet producers’ needs. State Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring requested the waiver.
The waiver will remain in effect through May 25. All road safety and vehicle compliance regulations still apply. An earlier version of the executive order stated the waiver would remain in effect through May 31, but that has been revised to May 25 to provide for a 30-day waiver per Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations.
The order can be viewed here.