diff --git a/tests/by-util/test_pr.rs b/tests/by-util/test_pr.rs
index 59d3c6c64..66f4f1309 100644
--- a/tests/by-util/test_pr.rs
+++ b/tests/by-util/test_pr.rs
@@ -18,11 +18,7 @@ fn file_last_modified_time(ucmd: &UCommand, path: &str) -> String {
             i.modified()
                 .map(|x| {
                     let date_time: OffsetDateTime = x.into();
-                    let offset = OffsetDateTime::now_local().unwrap().offset();
-                    date_time
-                        .to_offset(offset)
-                        .format(&DATE_TIME_FORMAT)
-                        .unwrap()
+                    date_time.format(&DATE_TIME_FORMAT).unwrap()
                 })
                 .unwrap_or_default()
         })
@@ -42,7 +38,7 @@ fn all_minutes(from: OffsetDateTime, to: OffsetDateTime) -> Vec<String> {
 }
 
 fn valid_last_modified_template_vars(from: OffsetDateTime) -> Vec<Vec<(String, String)>> {
-    all_minutes(from, OffsetDateTime::now_local().unwrap())
+    all_minutes(from, OffsetDateTime::now_utc())
         .into_iter()
         .map(|time| vec![("{last_modified_time}".to_string(), time)])
         .collect()
@@ -258,7 +254,7 @@ fn test_with_suppress_error_option() {
 fn test_with_stdin() {
     let expected_file_path = "stdin.log.expected";
     let mut scenario = new_ucmd!();
-    let start = OffsetDateTime::now_local().unwrap();
+    let start = OffsetDateTime::now_utc();
     scenario
         .pipe_in_fixture("stdin.log")
         .args(&["--pages=1:2", "-n", "-"])
@@ -321,7 +317,7 @@ fn test_with_mpr() {
     let expected_test_file_path = "mpr.log.expected";
     let expected_test_file_path1 = "mpr1.log.expected";
     let expected_test_file_path2 = "mpr2.log.expected";
-    let start = OffsetDateTime::now_local().unwrap();
+    let start = OffsetDateTime::now_utc();
     new_ucmd!()
         .args(&["--pages=1:2", "-m", "-n", test_file_path, test_file_path1])
         .succeeds()
@@ -330,7 +326,7 @@ fn test_with_mpr() {
             &valid_last_modified_template_vars(start),
         );
 
-    let start = OffsetDateTime::now_local().unwrap();
+    let start = OffsetDateTime::now_utc();
     new_ucmd!()
         .args(&["--pages=2:4", "-m", "-n", test_file_path, test_file_path1])
         .succeeds()
@@ -339,7 +335,7 @@ fn test_with_mpr() {
             &valid_last_modified_template_vars(start),
         );
 
-    let start = OffsetDateTime::now_local().unwrap();
+    let start = OffsetDateTime::now_utc();
     new_ucmd!()
         .args(&[
             "--pages=1:2",
@@ -446,7 +442,7 @@ fn test_with_join_lines_option() {
     let test_file_2 = "test.log";
     let expected_file_path = "joined.log.expected";
     let mut scenario = new_ucmd!();
-    let start = OffsetDateTime::now_local().unwrap();
+    let start = OffsetDateTime::now_utc();
     scenario
         .args(&["+1:2", "-J", "-m", test_file_1, test_file_2])
         .run()
diff --git a/tests/by-util/test_touch.rs b/tests/by-util/test_touch.rs
index a0d3fd3dc..6267e018e 100644
--- a/tests/by-util/test_touch.rs
+++ b/tests/by-util/test_touch.rs
@@ -49,12 +49,7 @@ fn str_to_filetime(format: &str, s: &str) -> FileTime {
         _ => panic!("unexpected dt format"),
     };
     let tm = time::PrimitiveDateTime::parse(s, &format_description).unwrap();
-    let d = match time::OffsetDateTime::now_local() {
-        Ok(now) => now,
-        Err(e) => {
-            panic!("Error {e} retrieving the OffsetDateTime::now_local");
-        }
-    };
+    let d = time::OffsetDateTime::now_utc();
     let offset_dt = tm.assume_offset(d.offset());
     FileTime::from_unix_time(offset_dt.unix_timestamp(), tm.nanosecond())
 }
diff --git a/tests/common/util.rs b/tests/common/util.rs
index 4005c87d9..04876bcd3 100644
--- a/tests/common/util.rs
+++ b/tests/common/util.rs
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ static NO_STDIN_MEANINGLESS: &str = "Setting this flag has no effect if there is
 
 pub const TESTS_BINARY: &str = env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_coreutils");
 
+/// Default environment variables to run the commands with
+const DEFAULT_ENV: [(&str, &str); 2] = [("LC_ALL", "C"), ("TZ", "UTC")];
+
 /// Test if the program is running under CI
 pub fn is_ci() -> bool {
     std::env::var("CI")
@@ -1340,6 +1343,18 @@ impl UCommand {
         self
     }
 
+    pub fn envs<I, K, V>(&mut self, iter: I) -> &mut Self
+    where
+        I: IntoIterator<Item = (K, V)>,
+        K: AsRef<OsStr>,
+        V: AsRef<OsStr>,
+    {
+        for (k, v) in iter {
+            self.env(k, v);
+        }
+        self
+    }
+
     #[cfg(any(target_os = "linux", target_os = "android"))]
     pub fn limit(
         &mut self,
@@ -1454,7 +1469,9 @@ impl UCommand {
             }
         }
 
-        command.envs(self.env_vars.iter().cloned());
+        command
+            .envs(DEFAULT_ENV)
+            .envs(self.env_vars.iter().cloned());
 
         if self.timeout.is_none() {
             self.timeout = Some(Duration::from_secs(30));
@@ -2456,7 +2473,7 @@ pub fn expected_result(ts: &TestScenario, args: &[&str]) -> std::result::Result<
     let result = ts
         .cmd(util_name.as_ref())
         .keep_env()
-        .env("LC_ALL", "C")
+        .envs(DEFAULT_ENV)
         .args(args)
         .run();
 
@@ -2521,7 +2538,7 @@ pub fn run_ucmd_as_root(
         // check if we can run 'sudo'
         log_info("run", "sudo -E --non-interactive whoami");
         match Command::new("sudo")
-            .env("LC_ALL", "C")
+            .envs(DEFAULT_ENV)
             .args(["-E", "--non-interactive", "whoami"])
             .output()
         {
@@ -2531,7 +2548,7 @@ pub fn run_ucmd_as_root(
                 Ok(ts
                     .cmd("sudo")
                     .keep_env()
-                    .env("LC_ALL", "C")
+                    .envs(DEFAULT_ENV)
                     .arg("-E")
                     .arg("--non-interactive")
                     .arg(&ts.bin_path)