Carolina Loggers Association

10/14/2026

CLA corresponded with him directly and he did listen and take note on behalf of the loggers. The CLA appreciates his support!

10/12/2026

Today we recognize National Loggers Day and the professional loggers who help keep America’s forests working.

Recognized each year since 2022, National Loggers Day highlights the vital role loggers play in forest management, rural communities, and the wood products supply chain.

We’re proud to stand with the American Loggers Council and our industry partners in supporting healthy forests, strong markets, and the men and women who make it all possible. American Loggers Council

Healthy forests. Strong markets. Professional loggers.

10/12/2026

10/12/2026

WHEN THE DATA IS ON YOUR SIDE

After an accident, everyone has a version of what happened. Telematics can provide something different: data.

Speed, braking, location, direction of travel, and other vehicle information can help reconstruct the moments leading up to a crash. When a professional driver is not at fault, that information may help establish what actually happened and support the driver's account.

Technology doesn't replace good driving. But when something goes wrong on the road, having accurate information can help protect a driver who did things right.

Drive safe. Drive professional. Let the facts speak for themselves.

Carolina Loggers Association
Safety Starts With You. Forestry Mutual Insurance Company

10/10/2026

AMERICA EXPORTS DIESEL. WASHINGTON TURNS TO RUSSIA. WHO BENEFITS?

The Trump administration has announced plans to bring Russian diesel into the market while easing certain sanctions on Russian energy.

But take a look at the numbers.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, America is exporting approximately 1.76 million barrels of distillate fuel every day.

The initial Russian diesel shipment? Approximately 2.25 million barrels.

That’s equivalent to just 31 hours of American distillate exports.

Even when you include the additional Russian diesel proposed for November, the total amounts to less than four days of U.S. exports.

So why are we easing sanctions on Russia to obtain diesel while continuing to export millions of barrels of American-produced fuel?

And there’s another potential consequence.

If Russian diesel is redirected from other countries to the United States, those countries must find replacement supplies. That could increase competition in an already tight global market and potentially push diesel prices higher. Additional supply, however, could have the opposite effect.

Meanwhile, American farmers, loggers and truckers continue paying extraordinary diesel prices just to stay in business.

We’re losing logging crews. Equipment is being parked. Rural jobs and businesses are at risk.

We don’t need another announcement that sounds good but delivers little relief at the pump.

We need meaningful action to lower diesel costs, protect domestic supply and keep American businesses operating.

The administration is willing to ease sanctions to get diesel from Russia so why aren’t they equally willing to provide meaningful fuel tax relief to American workers?

South Carolina Timber Producers Association

10/07/2026

TRUMP CONFIRMS HE'S EYEING A NATIONWIDE GAS TAX SUSPENSION

Less than a day after unlocking emergency diesel tax relief for truckers and farmers, President Trump signaled he is weighing a broader suspension of the federal gas tax.

Walking outside the White House on Tuesday, Trump was pressed on whether the diesel move was just the start.

Reporter: "After yesterday's diesel announcement, is the federal gas tax going to be suspended?"

Trump: "Well, we're thinking about that."

That is the clearest public indication yet that the White House is actively looking at pausing the 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal levy on gasoline. Monday's executive order already directs Treasury to defer certain diesel fuel taxes through the end of the year and to ease penalties on dyed diesel used on the highway, a direct response to supply pressure and higher prices hitting the people who move America's food and freight.

A full federal gas tax holiday would require Congress, but the comment puts the idea on the table while pump prices remain elevated. Drivers have watched states move on their own gas tax pauses. Trump's answer suggests Washington may not be far behind.

10/06/2026

Fuel Price Update: CLA Is at the Table

Fuel prices continue to put tremendous pressure on North Carolina’s logging industry, but over the past several days we have seen movement at both the state and federal levels.
North Carolina lawmakers are returning to Raleigh Wednesday for a special session focused on possible state tax relief for gasoline and diesel fuel. What that relief will ultimately look like has not yet been determined, but the Carolina Loggers Association has been engaged in these discussions and is making sure the concerns of professional loggers, truckers, and logging businesses are part of the conversation.

There has also been an important development at the federal level.

On October 5, President Trump signed an Executive Order addressing the highway use of dyed diesel fuel. The order directs the U.S. Department of the Treasury to determine and implement available relief for certain federal diesel fuel tax obligations incurred from October 5 through December 31, 2026. It also directs the IRS to provide penalty relief related to dyed diesel used on highways during that period.

According to information provided to CLA by the North Carolina Convenience & Petroleum Marketers Association (NCPCM), the federal excise tax on diesel fuel is 24.4 cents per gallon.

However, there is an important distinction members need to understand.

The federal action does not automatically eliminate North Carolina’s state motor-fuels tax.
North Carolina has already announced that through December 31, it will not impose the usual penalty when dyed diesel from bulk storage is used on highways for farming and agricultural purposes. Importantly for our members, the North Carolina Department of Revenue specifically defines those purposes as including forestry.

That means forestry operations are specifically recognized under the state’s current dyed-diesel relief.

But the North Carolina excise tax must still be paid. The state motor-fuels excise tax for 2026 is 41 cents per gallon, and vendors or bulk end-users using dyed diesel on the highway under this relief must properly report and pay that tax.

So, for now, the message to our members is simple:
Do not assume dyed diesel is completely tax-free for highway use.

Federal relief is moving forward, but additional Treasury and IRS guidance is still needed to spell out exactly who qualifies, what taxes may be deferred, the conditions involved, and when any deferred taxes would ultimately have to be paid.

At the state level, forestry is included in North Carolina’s current dyed-diesel penalty relief, but the 41-cent state excise tax remains due unless further action is taken by the General Assembly.

That is why Wednesday’s special session matters.

CLA will continue working with our elected officials and industry partners to make sure North Carolina’s logging community is represented as these decisions are made.
CLA is at the table. Your industry is part of the discussion.

We will keep our members updated as additional state and federal guidance becomes available.

Sources:
North Carolina Department of Revenue, Dyed Diesel Notice, October 1, 2026
The White House, Emergency Tax Relief on Diesel Fuel, Executive Order, October 5, 2026
North Carolina Convenience & Petroleum Marketers Association (NCPCM), information provided by Gary Harris, Executive Director

10/06/2026

10/05/2026

TRUMP PLANS TO ANNOUNCE EXECUTIVE ORDER TO BRING DOWN HIGH FUEL COSTS!

American Loggers Council The South Carolina Timber Producers Association Louisiana Logger’s Association and PAC Mississippi Loggers Association, Inc.

The announcement, expected during a Monday campaign stop in Nebraska, comes after the White House rejected a ban on diesel exports.

10/05/2026

Good morning,
I'm sure many of you heard about the multiple-vehicle wreck in SC this past week.

https://www.wistv.com/2026/10/01/worst-thing-ive-ever-seen-65-car-pileup-shuts-down-i-95-bridge-over-lake-marion/

The things you prepare for on a daily basis, from pre-trips to putting yourself in the driver's cab and putting on your seatbelt, make you question the other unknowns. In past weeks, we have talked about things we can control.

Weather is not one of those things.

As temperatures change, so does the weather over rivers, water crossings, and lakes. Be aware of fog and what to watch for in those conditions.

Have a great first full week of October and be safe!!