Burgum signs order to help recruit truck drivers

BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Doug Burgum has signed an emergency order to help ease a shortage of truck drivers to deliver milk to schools, businesses and other customers.

The order waives hours of service requirements for drivers for 30 days, which follows a decision by the state’s milk marketing board to waive enforcement of certain licensing requirements until April 1.  The measures come after a major milk distributor in North Dakota went out of business, due in part to a lack of certified drivers.

More than 50 school districts were at risk of losing milk deliveries.

Burgum and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring are leading a program to recruit truckers who have allowed their commercial driver’s licenses to expire. The state has lost 3,000 certified drivers since 2017.