State transportation officials are issuing an emergency order to waive hours-of-service restrictions for truck drivers carrying petroleum.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Greg Thomas says the order is in response to a gasoline pipeline leak in rural Alabama.
Earlier this month, workers with Colonial Pipeline Company discovered a leak in a pipeline - running since the 1960s - which delivers gas to an estimated 50 million people on the East Coast daily.
Higher fuel prices are being felt across the southern US, with some states seeing prices up 30 cents in the past week.
To cover the disruption of service, officials in seven states are allowing gasoline truckers to drive past normal hours.
Commercial truckers are required to have a copy of the order in their cab if transporting petroleum beyond normal hours of service.
The emergency order expires October 5th.
