Kansas lifts trucking regs for Joplin relief

Updated May 27, 2011

Kansas has temporarily suspended some regulations for truckers providing relief to Joplin residents following the tornado that leveled large portions of the Missouri city.

Gov. Sam Brownback issued an executive order until June 22, while Missouri has suspended certain trucking rules until May 30. β€œThe recovery efforts for Joplin will be ongoing for quite some time,” Brownback said.

The Kansas Department of Transportation is temporarily waiving over-dimension/overweight permits fees and providing priority service to requests. Truckers providing Joplin relief may operate during low visibility, night, holiday and curfew hours if the carriers or drivers use clearance lights or escort vehicles.

The registration and fuel tax permits are also suspended during this period.

Until noon June 2, the Missouri transportation department will issue oversize/overweight permits free and will expedite requests to truckers providing disaster relief. Also, during this time, out-of-state carriers that do not hold authority to operate in Missouri can request registration and fuel permits, which will be free.

Truckers seeking these Missouri permits should call (800) 877-8499 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. and for emergency permits only, may call (573) 291-4853 or (573) 291-4517 after these hours.