Minnesota Governor Walz expands trucking weight limits for agriculture

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has issued an executive order to relax weight limits on state and local highways to assist the agricultural, timber, and fuel-transport industries. The order allows vehicles transporting products such as soybeans, corn, wheat, potatoes, carrots, sugar beets, and forest products to exceed regular weight limits by up to 10 percent.

The measure aims to provide relief against rising diesel costs, which have reached high levels, helping producers move more product per trip to conserve fuel during the harvest season. The weight exemptions apply from harvest sites to the first unloading point on state and local highways but do not extend to interstate highways.

Additionally, the order provides temporary hours-of-service relief for motor carriers and drivers transporting fuel products, including biodiesel, diesel, gasoline, and ethanol. The order is currently set to last through October 30, with the possibility of re-evaluation for an extension into November.