Petroleum Product Wholesalers NAICS 424720

Oct 23, 2025 - No English, No CDL

• Legislation requiring English language proficiency for all commercial driver’s license holders and taking drivers who don’t meet the English requirement off the road was introduced in the Senate in October, Energy Marketers of America reports. The companion legislation to a House bill known as Connor’s Law, follows an April Executive Order requiring CDL drivers to demonstrate fundamental English skills to receive driving licenses in the US. The bill is named after Connor Dzion, who died in 2017 at age 18 in a crash involving a truck driver who was distracted and couldn’t understand English or read traffic warning signs. The renewed federal focus on English language proficiency for commercial drivers is reshaping the regulatory landscape for the US trucking industry, with the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration actively enforcing English proficiency for CDL holders following Trump’s EO. Previously, enforcement was lax.
• The Energy Information Administration is forecasting lower US crude-oil production as drilling activity slows, The Wall Street Journal reported in June. The agency said it expects crude production is likely to fall over the next 18 months as producers cut back on drilling in response to lower oil prices. In its latest monthly Short Term Energy Outlook, the EIA forecast output to slip to 13.3 million barrels a day in Q4 2026 from a record 13.5 million barrels a day in Q2 2025, citing a decline in active drilling rigs. Oil services company Baker Hughes reported there were 442 rigs drilling for oil in the US during the first week of June, the fewest since October 2021, per WSJ. However, since the EIA issued its outlook oil prices have spiked about 18% to date following attacks by Israel and the US on Iran. If sustained, higher crude prices could encourage more US drilling.

• President Trump has moved to pull the plug on the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program (NEVI), his predecessor’s initiative to build a nationwide network of EV charging stations, Politico reports. In February, Trump instructed states not to spend federal funds previously allocated to them under the program. In a letter to state transportation directors, the Federal Highway Administration said that it was scrapping guidance issued in 2023 implementing the NEVI program. However, the letter says states will be able to receive reimbursements for “existing obligations” to design and build stations “in order to not disrupt current financial commitments.” Whether Trump can choose not to spend funds allocated by congress is likely to face legal challenges. Still, Trump's move to block future EV charging station construction and his pro fossil fuels policies, brightens the outlook for suppliers of traditional motor fuels.
• Producer prices for petroleum and petroleum products merchant wholesalers fell 2.1% in August compared to a year ago, after falling 4% in the previous August-versus-August annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The average price for regular motor gasoline was $3.29 per gallon in August, down from $3.52 a year ago, according to BLS. Employment by the industry was flat year over year in July, while the average industry wage rose 7.2% over the same period to $33.81 per hour, down slightly from its peak in April, BLS data show. Factors driving wage inflation for distributors of petroleum products include a shortage of fuel truck drivers.