Governor Greg Abbott, on Thursday, sent a letter to the Chairman of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TXDMV) suspending the permitting requirements, legal height restrictions and associated permit fees for carriers transporting round bales of hay to Carson, Gray, Hemphill, Lipscomb, Ochiltree, Potter, Roberts and Wheeler counties. This waiver applies to these eight counties as well as any Texas county through which transport is necessary to reach the disaster response area.

“Due to the ongoing disaster caused by wildfires, livestock producers in these counties are experiencing forage and hay shortages,” reads the letter. “To facilitate the transportation and to ensure that state regulation is not an unnecessary barrier to the emergency transport of hay, I hereby direct you to suspend the permitting requirements and legal height restriction for cylindrical (round) hay bales, as well as associated permit fees, for carriers transporting round bales of hay to these counties.”

To ensure the safety of the traveling public, TXDMV will require carriers transporting loads exceeding 14 feet in height to contact the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Motor Carrier Division at (800) 299-1700.

To read the full letter, click here.

The wildfires have blazed through the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, Colorado and Kansas.

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