Trucking News Roundup: Dyed Diesel Still Owes State Tax, North Texas Truckers Skeptical, Diesel Falls to $6.20, FMCSA Plans 14-Hour Pause Pilot, Capacity Stays Tight (Oct 7, 2026)

Dyed diesel order: federal tax deferred, but state taxes still land on IFTA

Land Line and Overdrive (Oct 6, 2026): The Oct. 5 order pushes back the 24.4-cent federal excise tax on red-dyed diesel burned on highways through Dec. 31, but IFTA's executive director, Carmen Martorana, told Land Line it does nothing to state fuel taxes. Because dyed fuel is bought without state tax, a carrier can't count it as a tax-paid purchase and will owe the state tax on the quarterly IFTA return unless that state issues its own exemption — and so far none of the state orders have waived state excise tax.

Overdrive reports Texas, Alabama and Nebraska have loosened dyed diesel rules, with eight more states issuing narrower relief, and notes the order gives Treasury and the IRS five days to set out the relief and the no-penalty terms. OOIDA's Todd Spencer called the move "minimal relief," and ATA told Politico it doesn't add fuel supply.

What it means: Before you run red fuel across state lines, keep every receipt and expect to settle state tax at IFTA time. Drivers who'd rather run a company truck — company drivers. Owner-operators on 87–90% of gross — owner-operators. Shippers watching fuel surcharges — get a freight quote.

• Source: Land Line: Red-dyed diesel gets federal green light — what truckers need to know
• Source: Overdrive: Trump orders relief for on-highway red-dyed diesel use

Texas: North Texas truckers doubt the dyed diesel relief

FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth (Oct 6, 2026): A North Texas owner of a horse-hauling outfit told FOX 4 fuel is running up to about $3,000 a day per truck, but the order likely won't change much for him because the big truck stop chains — Love's, Pilot Flying J, TA and QuikTrip — generally don't sell off-road diesel; FOX 4 noted some Buc-ee's locations do.

He also worries about red dye lingering in tanks, lines and filters after the relief ends, since dyed fuel in an over-the-road truck is normally an out-of-service violation. FOX 4 said the federal order largely mirrors the statewide disaster proclamation Gov. Greg Abbott issued last week.

What it means: For DFW fleets the bigger question is where red fuel is actually sold along the lanes you run and how inspectors treat dye traces after December. DFW hiring — company drivers / owner-operators. Texas truckload — get a freight quote.

• Source: FOX 4: North Texas truckers react to Trump order allowing off-road diesel

Diesel falls a second week to $6.199, but EIA sees $6-plus through October

EIA (Oct 5, 2026) and Truck News (Oct 6, 2026): The U.S. average for on-highway diesel dropped 18.3 cents to $6.199 a gallon in EIA's Oct. 5 survey, after peaking at $6.529 on Sept. 21; it is still about $2.49 above a year ago. The Gulf Coast region, which includes Texas, came in at $5.819, while California stayed above $8 at $8.082.

EIA's new Short-Term Energy Outlook expects diesel to stay above $6 for October before easing to roughly $4.50 on average in 2027, and it raised its fourth-quarter Brent crude forecast to about $105 a barrel.

What it means: Two weeks of relief, but fuel is still the biggest line on the cost sheet into Q4. Serious CDL-A drivers — company drivers / owner-operators. Shippers budgeting Q4 lanes — get a freight quote.

• Source: EIA: Gasoline and diesel fuel update
• Source: Truck News: U.S. diesel prices fall, groups question impact of Trump's executive order

FMCSA plans a pilot to pause the 14-hour clock at the dock

Federal Register (Oct 6, 2026): FMCSA published a notice on a pilot program that would let drivers stop their 14-hour driving window for up to three hours — off duty, sleeper berth or on duty not driving — as long as the break is taken at the pickup or delivery location. The study, run with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, would follow about 256 drivers for 16 weeks using surveys, alertness tests, wrist sleep trackers, logs and telematics.

Carriers would need clean records to take part — no Unsatisfactory rating, no FMCSA enforcement action in three years, and driver and vehicle out-of-service rates no higher than the national average — and drivers in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse would be excluded. Comments are due Dec. 7, 2026 under docket FMCSA-2026-2081.

What it means: Detention at shippers and receivers is the reason this keeps coming back. Drivers can comment on the docket now. Company seats — company drivers. Owner-operators — owner-operators.

• Source: Federal Register: Hours of service of drivers — new information collection

Capacity crunch: carriers turn down far more loads on about the same freight

FreightWaves (Oct 6, 2026): In a SONAR update, Julie Van de Kamp said tender rejections are running near 14%, about three times 2023 levels, while truckload volume is up only about 9% over three years. She pointed to for-hire tractor counts falling roughly 51,000 in August, drivers sidelined by drug and alcohol violations and English-proficiency enforcement, and higher insurance costs keeping new carriers out, and cautioned that the jump in new authority numbers is mostly MOTIS system noise rather than real trucks.

She expects the market to stay tight at least into early 2027.

What it means: A driver-limited market rewards carriers that keep qualified drivers seated and trucks moving. CDL-A drivers — company drivers / owner-operators. Shippers who want a direct, asset-based carrier — get a freight quote.

• Source: FreightWaves: Trucking capacity crisis — rejections up 4x on same volume

For drivers: Wednesday note

Fuel rules are shifting week to week and FMCSA is studying how detention eats into the 14-hour day. If you hold a valid Class A CDL and a current DOT medical card, Maas Logistics runs dry van and reefer full truckload OTR in all 48 states out of Melissa, Texas, serving DFW: company drivers start at 50+ CPM dry van and 60+ CPM reefer, and owner-operators keep 87–90% of gross with non-forced dispatch.

We are a 15-truck, asset-based carrier with a Satisfactory safety rating and Samsara ELD. Company drivers: [company driver openings](/drive-with-us/company-drivers). Owner-operators: [lease on with Maas](/drive-with-us/owner-operators). Shippers: [get a freight quote](/quote) — your load is never re-brokered.

What it means: Hiring CDL-A company drivers and leasing on owner-operators now — apply as a company driver or lease on as an owner-operator. Need a truck? Get a freight quote.