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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The average price for a gallon of diesel fuel has risen for the fifth straight week. According to the Energy Information Administration, as of Aug. 21, the price sits at $4.389 per gallon across the nation. That’s up from $4.378 on Aug. 14 and $4.239 on Aug. 7. The Midwest is the only area of the country that saw a slight decline in prices — $4.302 per gallon, on average. To blame are rising oil prices, a slowdown at refineries due to a heatwave, as well as preparations for possible hurricanes, according to energy experts.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Average U.S. diesel fuel prices are continuing their upward climb. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), as of Aug. 14, the price sits at $4.378, up from $4.239 on Aug. 7 and $4.127 on July 31. The highest prices can be found in California, where a gallon, on average, will cost drivers $5.518. That’s up from $5.339 on Aug. 7 and $5.158 on July 31. The lowest prices can be found along the Gulf Coast at $4.095 per gallon on average. Diesel prices have risen at a rate faster than crude oil partly because of a worldwide inventory pinch. Benchmark U.S. crude oil for September delivery fell 68 cents to $82.51 a barrel Monday. Brent crude for October delivery fell 60 cents to $86.21 a barrel.  

WASHINGTON — Two major trucking groups are opposed to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) decision to consider petitions for waivers related to two states’ meal and rest break (MRB) rules, while a third says they are studying the proposal. In 2018, the FMCSA ruled that California’s MRBs for commercial motor vehicle drivers were preempted by federal hours-of-service regulations. The agency made the same determination in 2020 with regard to Washington state’s MRBs. Both states’ rules are stricter than federal regulations. Under the United States Code, states are prohibited from enforcing a law or regulation on commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety that the Secretary of Transportation has determined to be preempted. Now, however, the FMCSA is accepting waivers that would allow those stricter state rules to be enforced as long as the petitioner “demonstrates to the agency’s satisfaction that a waiver from federal preemption is in the public interest and is consistent with the safe operation of CMVs.” Under the California Labor Code, employers must provide nonexempt employees a 30-minute meal break if they work more than five hours in a day, and employees who work a shift of 10 hours or more are entitled to a second 30-minute meal break. The California Code of Regulations states that employers are required to provide rest periods for non-exempt employees who work three-and-a-half or more hours in a day. Employees are entitled to a 10-minute rest period for each four hours, or a substantial fraction thereof, that they work in a day. To the extent possible, these breaks are to be taken in the middle of each four-hour period. California law provides that an employer shall not require an employee to work during a mandated meal or rest break and provides for additional pay as a remedy for violating that prohibition. Under the Washington Department of Labor and Industries’ regulations, employers must provide employees a meal period of at least 30 minutes that commences after the second hour and before the fifth hour after the shift commences. In addition, Washington’s MRB rules provide for a 10-minute rest period “for each four hours of working time” and must occur no later than the end of the third working hour. The rest period must be scheduled as near as possible to the midpoint of the 4 hours of working time, and no employee may be required to work more than three consecutive hours without a rest period. Federal hours-of-service rules require that drivers only be provided a 30-minute break after eight hours of driving time (instead of on-duty time) and allow an on-duty/not driving period to qualify as the required break. The Washington Trucking Association has contended that the stricter state regulations could make a lack of truck parking worse because drivers would have to spend more time looking for a place to shut down while they rest — or park in an unsafe area. The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and the American Trucking Associations (ATA) also oppose the state rules. “The Truckload Carriers Association opposes any effort to institute the California and Washington state meal and rest break laws and supports the implementation of the federal rules pertaining to meal and rest breaks,” said Dave Heller Sr. vice president of safety and government affairs at TCA. ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said the ATA is for “a singular, national standard of work rules for professional drivers is crucial to both safety and the supply chain.” “Federal law already mandates rest breaks for drivers,” he added. “Unnecessary and duplicative state laws are not grounded in safety and have been primarily enforced via private lawsuits designed to extort the trucking industry. Opening the door to this spurious litigation once again would impair the safe and efficient movement of interstate goods.” Spear said that the ATA “is fully prepared to oppose this effort that would result in a confusing patchwork of regulations. We will leverage all of our Federation’s resources to stop this in its tracks.” Meanwhile, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) hasn’t taken a firm stance on the issue. “OOIDA represents over 150,000 small business truckers across the United States, some who operate exclusively within their state borders but many more who have interstate operations,” according to a statement. “We are currently analyzing the waiver request from FMCSA based on OOIDA member feedback on intended benefits and potential unintended consequences.” The FMCSA requests that any waiver petition address the following issues, in addition to any other relevant issues: Whether and to what extent enforcement of a State’s meal and rest break laws with respect to intrastate property-carrying and passenger-carrying CMV drivers has impacted the health and safety of drivers. Whether enforcement of State meal and rest break laws as applied to interstate property-carrying or passenger-carrying CMV drivers will exacerbate the existing truck parking shortages and result in more trucks parking on the side of the road, whether any such effect will burden interstate commerce or create additional dangers to drivers and the public, and whether the applicant intends to take any actions to mitigate or address any such effect. Whether enforcement of a State’s meal and rest break laws as applied to interstate property-carrying or passenger-carrying CMV drivers will dissuade carriers from operating in that State, whether any such effect will weaken the resiliency of the national supply chain, and whether the applicant intends to take any actions to mitigate or address any such effect.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is asking for public input on its decision to renew accident recordkeeping requirements for motor carriers. The notice, posted on Aug. 7, notes that the regulation doesn’t require trucking companies to report the data to FMCSA; however, the carrier must produce the information when requested by federal, state or local officials. The following information must be recorded for each accident: date, location, driver name, number of injuries, number of fatalities, and whether certain dangerous hazardous materials were released. In addition, the motor carrier must maintain copies of all accident reports required by insurers or governmental entities. Motor carriers must maintain this information for three years after the date of the accident. “By requiring motor carriers to gather and record information concerning CMV accidents, FMCSA is strengthening its ability to assess the safety performance of motor carriers,” the notice states. “This information is a valuable resource in Agency initiatives to prevent, and reduce the severity of, CMV crashes.” The public is asked to: Comment on any aspect of this information collection, including whether the proposed collection is necessary for the performance of FMCSA’s functions. Comment on the accuracy of the estimated burden. Comment on the ways FMCSA can enhance the quality, usefulness and clarity of the collected information. Comment on ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of the collected information.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — A recreational vehicle blew a tire on an interstate highway in Pennsylvania, crossed the median and collided head-on with a tractor-trailer, killing four people in the RV and the truck driver, authorities said. The crash occurred around 8:50 p.m. Wednesday on northbound Interstate 81 near Chambersburg, in south-central Pennsylvania, state police said. The RV, which was heading south and towing a trailer, crossed a grassy median after the tire blew and struck the truck, which was towing double trailers. Four people in the RV and the truck driver were all pronounced dead at the scene, and no other injuries were reported. Those killed in the RV were identified as Donald Molander, Kimberly Molander, Miranda Molander and Dane Molander, all of Middletown, Pennsylvania. The truck driver was identified as James Shade, of Martinsburg, West Virginia. The stretch of road was shut down for nearly 10 hours as authorities investigated, and residual delays continued Thursday morning.

ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is aiming for his state to lead the nation in the number of commercial vehicle hydrogen fueling stations. According to a news release, Kemp has instructed the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to begin working with private sector partners on how best to approach deployment of such stations. As a first step, GDOT has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to seek feedback from businesses who use hydrogen-powered vehicles. “As the number one state for business with world-class institutions of higher learning, Georgia is on the cutting-edge of innovation and the jobs of the future,” Kemp said. “But as I always say, we can’t rest on our laurels. I want to thank GDOT and our partners in the private sector who will ensure that when it comes to hydrogen energy, we will do as we have in so many other areas — lead.” The news release notes that “hydrogen-powered electric fuel cells are a promising technology for commercial vehicles like large trucks. Applications include enabling long travel distances with a fast refueling process for heavy vehicles, which deliver goods throughout the state. These and other efforts are in line with Governor Kemp’s goal of making Georgia the e-mobility capital.” During the RFI process and ensuing planning discussions, GDOT will consider the full range of potential demand for hydrogen for transportation uses. This will include the option to bring down the cost of hydrogen refueling station development in Georgia. Other aspects to be considered include possible locations for hydrogen refueling station deployment, with initial primary consideration given to areas adjacent to Georgia’s ports, according to the news release. “The market for hydrogen as a transportation fuel is in the early stages of development in a few regions of the U.S.,” according to the news release. “It has already deployed successfully in several other economically advanced countries. Currently, hydrogen’s predominant commercial use is in the industrial sector and for fertilizer and methanol production, with the U.S. market consuming approximately 10 million metric tons of hydrogen annually. The total current value of the hydrogen market in the U.S. is estimated to be approximately $17 billion. By 2050, the total estimated revenue is projected to be more than $130 billion per year, meeting 14% of U.S. energy demand.” Truck manufacturers are working to develop hydrogen technology and improve hydrogen-powered vehicles. PACCAR and Toyota Motor North America Inc. (TMNA) recently announced plans to develop and produce zero emissions, hydrogen fuel cell electric (FCEV) Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks powered by Toyota’s next-generation hydrogen fuel cell modules. And Hyundai Motor Company has introduced a new Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric tractor for use in North America as part of the company’s initiative to move toward alternative energy sources for its vehicles. A recent North American Council for Freight Efficiency report found that hydrogen may be the harbinger of a new green industrial revolution, or just the progression from one fossil fuel-based energy carrier to another with greater emphasis on reducing emissions. Either way, the report notes, hydrogen will be a factor in future long-distance freight hauling in combination with battery electric vehicles for shorter range operations. The Trucker Staff contributed to this report.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Average U.S. diesel prices are rising sharply. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average price as of Aug. 7 is $4.239 per gallon, up from $4.127 on July 31 and $3.905 on July 24. Economists say a combination of sweltering temperatures, rising oil prices and falling production are to blame. The cheapest average price per gallon for diesel fuel is along the Gulf Coast at $3.960 per gallon, EIA statistics show. The highest price is in California at $5.339 per gallon. In the Midwest, expect to pay an average of $4.195 per gallon, while along the East Coast, the average price is sitting at $4.248 per gallon as of Aug. 7.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio police agency shared records Tuesday that showed an officer who released his police dog on a surrendering truck driver was repeatedly told not to keep talking about the incident before he was fired last week. Records provided to The Associated Press by the Circleville Police Department indicated Officer Ryan Speakman met twice with Chief Shawn Baer to discuss reports of Speakman crying, talking to employees, families and K-9 trainers and exhibiting stress-related behavior after the July 4 incident. The Circleville Police Department fired Officer Speakman last week, alleging that he “did not meet the standards and expectations we hold for our police officers.” Late last month, Baer wrote that Speakman had “released confidential information” and was deceptive when Baer sought information from him. A representative for Speakman’s union, the Ohio Patrolman’s Benevolent Association, said it would return a call by The Associated Press later. The organization filed a grievance last week on his behalf arguing he had been fired without just cause. During a July 19 meeting, Baer wrote, he met with Speakman over reports that he had been crying and speaking to colleagues about being stressed over the incident. Baer said he told Speakman that his conduct was not beneficial to himself or the agency, according to the documents the department provided. The two met again on July 20, following reports Speakman was still speaking with colleagues about the matter. Baer asked Speakman for a list of people he spoke to about the situation. After receiving the list, Speakman admitted to also sharing details of the incident with members of his family. According to the report, Speakman reportedly implored Baer to not “take his best friend from him,” meaning the police dog involved in the attack. The agency records also state Speakman provided a two-page list to investigators of the people outside the police department with whom he spoke following the attack. His firing came one day after the department said he had been placed on paid administrative leave, a standard practice during use-of-force investigations. The town’s civilian police review board found Speakman did not violate department policy when he deployed the dog, police said last week, although the review board lacks authority to recommend discipline. Speakman, who joined the Circleville department in February 2020, deployed his police dog following a lengthy pursuit involving the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Troopers tried to stop a truck that was missing a mudflap and failed to halt for an inspection, according to a highway patrol report. Circleville Police was asked to assist. Jadarrius Rose initially refused to get out of the truck and later defied instructions to get on the ground, according to the incident report and the body cam video. Rose eventually got on his knees and raised his hands in the air. The body camera video shows Speakman holding back the dog, and a trooper can be heard off-camera repeatedly yelling, “Do not release the dog with his hands up!” However, Speakman deployed the dog and it can be seen in the video attacking Rose, who said, “Get it off! Please! Please!” Rose was treated at a hospital for dog bites. He was charged with failure to comply, and hasn’t responded to an email sent last week seeking comment. Florida-based attorney Benjamin Crump announced last week that he would represent Rose. Crump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It’s not clear why Rose refused to stop for police. Rose is Black, and Speakman is white. Rose told The Columbus Dispatch that he couldn’t talk about why he didn’t stop. But when asked about the video, told the newspaper: “I’m just glad that it was recorded. What you saw is what, pretty much, happened.” Audio recordings of 911 calls show Rose told emergency dispatchers that the officers pursuing him were “trying to kill” him and he didn’t feel safe pulling over. He also said he was confused about why the officers were trying to stop him and why they had their guns drawn after he briefly stopped the truck before driving away.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Average diesel prices are up once again. According to the Energy Information Administration, the price as of July 31 sits at $3.757 per gallon, up from $3.596 per gallon on July 24 and $3.559 on July 17. Oil inventories are beginning to fall in some regions as demand outpaces supply constrained by deep production cuts from OPEC leader Saudi Arabia, providing support for prices which are expected to rise in coming months. JP Morgan analysts said this month that oil inventories — which include crude and fuel products — now play a bigger role in determining oil prices than the U.S. dollar because Western sanctions on Russia have accelerated oil trading in other currencies. “We expect stocks to draw relatively aggressively in July, and by the end of August, we should be through the stock builds that we saw in the first half of the year,” said Christopher Haines, an analyst at Energy Aspects. “We are on the cusp of supply tightness. Saudi cuts are essentially accelerating the timeline.” Both the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) expect oil demand to outpace supply this year, leading to overall inventory draws to the tune of 400,000 to 500,000 barrels per day (bpd), mostly accounted for by the second half of the year. Although global oil inventories increased in May to their highest since September 2021, according to the IEA, driven by a substantial rise in non-OECD countries, analysts say signs of tightness are appearing, in the United States in particular. Stock declines have been geographically uneven so far, with inventory falls in the United States and Europe offset by increases in China and Japan. The declines have also been skewed more towards fuel than crude, although the supply of sour crude, typically priced lower than sweet crude, has tightened because of the cuts introduced by OPEC and its allies. “It appears that the voluntary cuts announced by eight OPEC+ countries in April plus the additional 1 million bpd of unilateral Saudi cut that just started in July are having the desired effect, with sour barrels becoming more scarce,” the JP Morgan analysts said. Refineries running harder to meet rising summer demand as people drive and fly more partly explains the fall in inventories, the bank said, along with a drop in Russian oil exports this month. The bank expects benchmark Brent prices, which traded around a three-month high of $84 a barrel this week, to rise to $86 a barrel by the end of the third quarter, before easing in the fourth quarter as inventories start to build again. UBS said it expected a rise to $85-$90 a barrel over coming months. Crude stocks at the Cushing storage hub in Oklahoma fell by 2.9 million barrels in the week to July 14, the steepest draw in more than a year and a half according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), and shed a further 2.6 million barrels the following week, leaving them well below their five-year average. For fuel, data from consultancy FGE Energy on key hubs in the United States, northern Europe, Japan, Singapore and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, shows that overall stocks have been drawing aggressively so far this month, both onshore and at sea. Weekly stocks of diesel, jet fuel and fuel oil in the five regions are also currently below their five-year averages. U.S. gasoline stocks of 217.6 million barrels are at their lowest level for the time of year since 2015, according to EIA data, and 5 million barrels, or 5%, lower than the prior 10-year seasonal average. BIG CRUDE BUILDS IN ASIA Big crude builds in China and Japan have so far offset a drop in the Mideast Gulf, meaning there is no sign yet of an overall global onshore crude inventory drawdown, according to satellite analytics firm Kayrros. In fact, data from the firm shows that crude inventories in the week to July 20 reached a two-year high, with the world adding 200 million barrels into storage since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This amounts to roughly 400,000 bpd over that time period, the daily oil consumption of Portugal. China accounts for the lion’s share of the gains, adding 700,000 bpd since mid-April, which Kayrros co-founder Antoine Halff noted was commercial rather than strategic. He attributed the build to weak Chinese industrial activity and the import of discounted crude from Russia, Iran and Venezuela. Crude inventories in Japan have added 25 million barrels, or 8%, since April to stand at their highest in nearly two years, according to Kayrros. China’s diesel inventories also rose sharply over Nov. 2022-Feb. 2023 and have remained at elevated levels since. MIDEAST GULF DRAWS Crude stocks in the Mideast Gulf and North Africa region have declined by 5 million barrels overall so far this year, according to estimates by Macquarie, although OPEC members in the region have drawn 10 million barrels. “I think Iranian barrels, both floating and onshore, had been making their way through different parts of Asia…and then ending up in China,” said Macquarie analyst Vikas Dwivedi about what could be driving the draw. Like JP Morgan, Dwivedi believes inventories will fall in coming weeks before starting to build again in the fourth quarter as refineries slow throughput and higher oil prices drive some OPEC+ members to exceed their production quota to maximise revenue. “We’re bullish right now. This is the first time we’ve been bullish for a long, long time. Over about 18 months we’ve been bearish,” he said. The Trucker Staff contributed to this report.