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Missouri is asking truckers to not exit Interstate 44 in Joplin, except for exit 4’s fueling plazas, but state officials are expediting trucking permits and waiving fees following the city’s deadly tornado.

The Missouri Department of Transportation issued an update Tuesday, May 24, after the May 22 tornado that resulted in 117 fatalities in Joplin. Fuel is not available at I-44 exit 11 and other truck services are unavailable in the Joplin area.

MDOT said certain trucking permits will be issued free and requests will receive priority service around the clock. Carriers entering the area with heavier, wider or longer than normally allowed must request an oversize/overweight permit. Out-of-state carriers that do not hold authority to operate in Missouri can request registration and fuel permits.

For a third straight week and fourth in the last five weeks, the national average retail price of diesel fell during the week ended May 23, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration. The national average price plunged 6.4 cents to $3.997, the first time it’s been below $4 since early April.

All regions dropped in price, with the California price falling 8.4 cents a gallon to $4.287, the most expensive. The West Coast excluding California fell 4.7 cents to $4.201. The Midwest declined 7.3 cents to $3.942. The other region dipping below $4 was the Lower Atlantic at $3.943, following the Gulf Coast the previous week.

The record diesel price was $4.764 in July 2008.

For diesel price information, click here.

Ralph Garcia, a driver with ABF Freight System Inc. and a member of America’s Road Team, told Obama administration officials about the rewards and challenges of a career in trucking during a White House forum as part of National Transportation Week.

“It was an honor to be invited to the White House to promote something I believe in so strongly – the importance of the trucking industry,” Garcia, a native of Rio Rancho, N.M., said following the forum.

Garcia was one of 20 transportation professionals who participated in the May 16 White House “Champions of Change” roundtable that focused on how best to promote careers in transportation.

“There’s no better way to earn a living than behind the wheel as a professional driver,” Garcia said. “In my 30 years as a driver, I’ve seen so much of this great country that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to experience.”

The government, Garcia said, could do more to encourage Americans to explore a career, or remain, in the trucking industry.

Nationwide, rest areas are closing because of flooding or budget shortfalls. On the other hand, one is being converted to truck parking.

On May 16, Illinois announced rest area closings, but did not provide complete information. On Interstate 24, the state shut the Fort Massac Rest Area at milepost 1 for six weeks for roof repairs and Illinois 164 Oquawka Rest Area will close Nov. 8 for various improvements.

Also, the I-57 Rend Lake Rest Area, southbound side, is closed and the I-74 KrisdalaBaka Rest Area near Woodhull will be closed May 31 until July 1.

North Dakota has closed its Medina rest area on westbound I-94 because water is over the entrance ramp.

A tight budget is forcing South Carolina to close I-85 Northbound Rest Area at mile marker 88 on June 3. The annual savings will be about $220,000.

In Missouri, the I-70 Mineola rest areas are being converted to truck parking only soon after Memorial Day. Both west and eastbound locations will be closed periodically during the conversion.