SC’s McMaster relaxes trucking rules to ease supply chain issues, urges Biden to do more

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster will allow trucks in the state to carry heavier loads than normal in an effort to move goods more efficiently amid nationwide supply chain issues.

On Tuesday, McMaster issued an executive order to suspend weight limits on roads by increasing all weight limits for trucks to 90,000 pounds no matter the road in the state, the governor’s office said.

Supply chain backups have occurred as consumers are continuing to buy goods during the pandemic, and companies have kept ordering and holding onto stock to ensure they have enough inventory, the Associated Press reported. Container ships waiting at the nation’s ports to offload goods have also added to the back ups.

McMaster’s executive order also waives or suspends application or enforcement of certain state and federal regulations pertaining to registration, permitting and hours of service for commercial vehicles.

The move dovetails with a similar action taken by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who also allowed truckers to work longer hours during the day so they can move more goods from the Port of Savannah.

McMaster’s executive order is in place until further notice and comes at the beginning of the holiday shopping season.

The governor and 14 other governors Monday sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to suspend some federal trucking regulations to allow goods to move more efficiently.

Among those suggestions by the group are allowing truck drivers to be 18 years old instead of 21 so that drivers can cross state lines when moving goods, and suspending COVID-19 vaccine requirements for those in the trucking industry to alleviate driver shortages.

In an effort to bring relief at the gas pumps, on Tuesday, Biden ordered the release of 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

“As we approach the holiday season, our states are committed to ensuring the free and fast flow of commerce,” the governors wrote Biden. “Getting goods to market is a fundamental baseline of our open economy, and under the Biden Administration, the American supply chain is in crisis.”

Within their own states, the group of Republican governors said they plan to modify weight, size and load restrictions to allow more cargo to move efficiently throughout the country, allow drivers to be on the road for longer hours within their states, and reduce educational and licensing requirements to get more truck drivers on the road.

“Specifically for those states with coastal ports, we commit to support our ports to operate at full capacity, increase tonnage capacity, and accept more Panamax ships waiting off the west coast,” the governors wrote.