Red-dyed diesel can now go in any vehicle on Missouri roads for any purpose without state penalties, under an executive order Gov. Mike Kehoe signed Friday, Oct. 9.
Executive Order 26-20 replaces the order Kehoe signed Sept. 30, which allowed dyed diesel in highway vehicles only for farm hauling. The new order rescinds Executive Order 26-19 and suspends state enforcement of the Missouri law that bars dyed fuel in vehicles on public highways "for any purpose," according to the order text filed with the Missouri secretary of state.
No state agency, department, or law enforcement officer may assess administrative, civil or criminal penalties under that law against anyone operating within the suspension, the order says.
Dyed diesel is off-road fuel sold without motor fuel tax for farm use, according to the governor's office.
The order cites an Oct. 5 executive order from President Donald Trump, "Emergency Tax Relief on Diesel Fuel," which it says authorizes highway use of dyed diesel nationwide for any purpose. Kehoe's office said the state order aligns Missouri's enforcement with that federal action.
"Haulers in Missouri will now be able to utilize tax-free diesel fuel on any road in Missouri for any purpose," Kehoe said in a news release.
The new order carries over the harvest weight allowance from the September order. Six-axle trucks with at least 43 feet between the first and last axles may haul livestock, grain, timber or other seasonal farm products at up to 90,000 pounds without a special permit, from field to storage or market, or from farm storage to market. That limit applies on state highways and local roads but not interstates, and posted bridge limits still apply.
The September order was set to expire Oct. 30. Executive Order 26-20 took effect immediately and expires Dec. 31 unless it is extended.