Minnesota Order 26-11 and the Last Days of Harvest Overweight and Fuel Hauler Relief

What Minnesota changed on October 1

On October 1, 2026, Governor Tim Walz signed Emergency Executive Order 26-11, a short relief order aimed at diesel costs during harvest. As KTTC reported the same day, Minnesota diesel was averaging $6.22 a gallon, up more than $2.60 from a year earlier, and the state joined at least 15 others acting on fuel prices. MPR News had already heard from Minnesota carriers about fill ups doubling and small fleets raising rates that still did not cover fuel.

The order does two separate things. It tells MnDOT to issue a temporary emergency harvest permit so crop and timber loads can run heavier, and it suspends part of the federal hours of service rule for drivers hauling fuel. Both pieces end when the order is rescinded or on October 31, 2026, whichever comes first. If you run grain, beets, potatoes, logs, or fuel anywhere in the state this month, this sits right next to everything else on our page about commercial truck insurance in Minnesota, because the relief only protects you while you stay inside its lines.

The harvest weight piece, and its fences

The order covers corn, soybeans, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, carrots, and forest products. Loads of those products may exceed Minnesota's normal limits, but no single axle, no axle group, and no gross weight may run more than ten percent over the limits in Minnesota Statutes sections 169.823 to 169.829.

Then come the fences. The extra weight only applies from the place of harvest to the first unloading. Moving the crop from a farm truck or small farm trailer into another vehicle does not count as that first unloading, but anything hauled after the first true unloading goes back to normal weights. The truck must be licensed for the heavier weight it carries. And the relief applies only on state and local highways. Interstates are off limits, and so are forest roads maintained by the state or a county.

That last point catches people. A log truck legal at ten percent over on a state highway becomes an overweight truck the moment it takes an interstate ramp or a county forest road. The order also does not say it overrides lower posted bridge or road limits, so a posted bridge still deserves respect.

The fuel hauler hours piece

Drivers and carriers giving direct assistance by hauling diesel, fuel oil, gasoline, ethanol, or biodiesel are exempt from paragraphs (b) and (c) of 49 CFR 395.3. In plain terms that loosens the 14 hour window and the 60 and 70 hour weekly limits. The order states clearly that paragraph (a) still applies, so the 11 hours of driving after 10 consecutive hours off is still the rule. The order ties this to propane too, since many fuel drivers also run propane and the state does not want them unavailable when heating season starts.

Three conditions ride along. A carrier may not require or allow a fatigued or ill driver to drive, and a driver who asks for rest gets at least 10 consecutive hours off. When the order ends or the driver is released from relief work, the driver must take at least 34 consecutive hours off. And direct assistance ends the moment the truck hauls cargo not bound for the relief effort or is dispatched somewhere else to start ordinary work. Nothing in the order waives driver qualification, CDL, drug and alcohol testing, or equipment rules.

Why the fine print matters after a crash

Emergency relief changes what an officer can write you up for. It does not change how a crash gets argued. If a heavy grain truck rear ends a pickup, the first questions from the other side will be whether the load was inside the ten percent, whether the truck was on a road the order allowed, and whether it was registered for that weight. For a fuel driver, it will be whether the run was really relief work, whether the 11 hours were respected, and whether a tired driver was kept rolling. A load that strays outside the order is simply an overweight or out of hours truck, and that hands a plaintiff an easy story.

Your commercial auto liability is what answers for injuries and damage to others, so it is worth knowing your limit before harvest traffic peaks. Grain and timber haulers should also confirm their motor truck cargo coverage actually lists the commodity on the trailer, since some cargo forms restrict certain freight.

A short checklist for the rest of October

Keep a copy of the order and any MnDOT permit paperwork in the cab. Weigh when you can, because ten percent over is the ceiling, not a target. Plan routes that avoid interstates and county forest roads while heavy. Fuel carriers should log which loads were relief loads and when relief work ended, then schedule the 34 hour break. And mark October 31 on the calendar, since everything returns to normal limits after it unless the state says otherwise.

If harvest season has you rethinking limits or adding a truck, we can help. Get a truck insurance quote in under a minute through our quick quote form, or call or text 423-264-4255. You can also compare options on our page for Minnesota truck insurance for owner-operators and small fleets.