DEF plentiful

Sellers say despite Russia being leading exporter of urea & amidst ongoing war with Ukraine

DEF plentiful – Sellers say despite Russia being leading importer & amidst ongoing war with Ukraine that has put pricing and availability pressure on anything that flows from or through those countries

The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has put pricing and availability pressure on anything that flows from or through those countries, including urea — a critical chemical in diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) of which Russia is the world’s leading exporter.

The availability of urea itself hasn’t emerged as a primary hurdle in widespread DEF distribution, rather it’s a logjam of labor issues and railroad capacity that looms as the potential principal headache.

“There is not a shortage of DEF,” said Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman, vice president of public affairs for NATSO

“There is not a shortage of DEF,” said Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman, vice president of public affairs for NATSO, the trade group that represents America’s travel plazas and truck stops. “However, DEF is moved by rail, and the ongoing supply chain issues affect the availability of rail cars — specifically out West — to transport DEF.”

A single rail car can hold upwards of 21,500 gallons of DEF — enough to fill up about 3,000 trucks, Pilot Co. Chief Executive Shameek Konar testified at the Surface Transportation Board meeting in April.

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“Every rail car that gets missed in terms of DEF delivery will reduce trucking potential by five million miles,” he added.

To combat rail’s potential shortcomings in DEF distribution, NATSO requested and received late last month an amendment to a previously granted hours of service waiver for haulers of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethyl alcohol and heating fuel. As of the end of May, DEF haulers were granted the same exemptions and conditions through at least Aug. 31, and there are currently no signs of a looming DEF supply crunch.

1/3 of DEF Supply

Pilot Co. accounts for about one-third of the DEF supply in the U.S., according to Konar, and it supplies more than 300-million gallons annually to the transportation industry.

Pilot Co. accounts for about one-third of the DEF supply in the U.S., according to Konar, and it supplies more than 300-million gallons annually to the transportation industry. While Pilot is not currently experiencing any shortages in its supply of DEF, Brad Jenkins, senior vice president of supply and distribution, said the company continues “to work diligently with our expansive network of suppliers and partners to keep a consistent supply of DEF available for our customers and guests to ensure that North America’s over-the-road commercial trucking remains strong.”

Similarly, Tina Arumdel, Travel Centers of America’s senior director of communications said the supply and availability of DEF at its 276-site national network “are just fine.” In fact, TA Petro is in the midst of a push to increase the availability of DEF at all diesel pumps nationwide.

Love’s also doesn’t currently anticipate a DEF shortage at its nearly 600 travel stops, according to Caitlin Campbell in the company’s communications office.

Jamie Hagen, owner of Aberdeen, S.D.-based Hell Bent Xpress, said DEF is about the only fuel-related relief his 10-truck fleet has seen this year.

“I get it in bulk and price has actually gone down for us,” he said.