In the midst of a government shutdown in Minnesota, truckers are discovering it to be the best of times and the worst of times.
A budget stalemate has meant the closing of nearly all rest stops in the North Star State, as well as a set of other challenges. Trucking companies there are reporting problems in credentialing drivers and getting permits to haul oversized loads. And that doesn’t even take into account the matter of adhering to hours-of-service regulations when there are few safe places to pull over and rest.
“As an industry, we want to be safe, we want to comply with all of these many, many, many regulations, and yet the State of Minnesota is now standing in our way and preventing us from complying,” Minnesota Trucking Association president John Hausladen told Twin Cities Business this week. “And yet if we break these rules, we will be given no leeway.”
Nevertheless, the shuttered rest stops have spurred a boom for one industry. Truck stops have seen a sharp rise in business since the shutdown.
Hopefully, a tentative budget agreement will lead to a quick resolution. We’ll keep you advised.
