Texas is lifting some trucking rules to allow the emergency delivery of hay to feed livestock as the drought continues, according to the Associated Press. Gov. Rick Perry announced Thursday, Aug. 10, that he directed the Texas Department of Transportation to temporarily waive certain trucking restrictions.
Perry says the U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated a 77 percent loss in hay production in Texas. Tex-DOT is expected to suspend permitting rules and legal height restriction for round hay bales, and associated permit fees, for carriers hauling the livestock feed. The suspension — for those rules only — will run until Oct. 31. However, truckers hauling such loads that are more than 14 feet high must contact Tex-DOT to get an expedited route.
A similar order earlier this year from Perry expired April 30.
