diff --git a/garak/generators/openai.py b/garak/generators/openai.py
index fa97ce830..b1c7b05fd 100644
--- a/garak/generators/openai.py
+++ b/garak/generators/openai.py
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@ class OpenAICompatible(Generator):
         "seed": None,
         "stop": ["#", ";"],
         "suppressed_params": set(),
+        "transient_retry_codes": [408, 429, 502, 503, 504],
         "retry_json": True,
         "extra_params": {},
     }
@@ -336,6 +337,17 @@ def _call_model(
             logging.exception(e)
             logging.error(msg)
             return [None]
+        except openai.APIStatusError as e:
+            if e.status_code in self.transient_retry_codes:
+                raise garak.exception.GeneratorBackoffTrigger(
+                    f"Transient HTTP {e.status_code}, retrying with backoff"
+                ) from None
+            logging.warning(
+                "OpenAI API returned non-retryable HTTP %s for %s",
+                e.status_code,
+                self.fullname,
+            )
+            return [None]
         except json.decoder.JSONDecodeError as e:
             logging.exception(e)
             if self.retry_json:
diff --git a/tests/generators/test_openai_compatible.py b/tests/generators/test_openai_compatible.py
index d69ad8f88..38b4a60c3 100644
--- a/tests/generators/test_openai_compatible.py
+++ b/tests/generators/test_openai_compatible.py
@@ -141,3 +141,47 @@ def test_openai_multiple_generations():
     assert (
         oai_klass.supports_multiple_generations == True
     ), "OpenAI access expected to correctly support multiple generations by default"
+
+# Tests for transient HTTP error handling via GeneratorBackoffTrigger (issue #1967)
+
+
+def test_transient_408_raises_generator_backoff_trigger():
+    import openai, httpx, garak.exception
+
+    request = httpx.Request("POST", "https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions")
+    response = httpx.Response(408, request=request)
+    exc = openai.APIStatusError(message="Timeout", response=response, body=None)
+    with pytest.raises(garak.exception.GeneratorBackoffTrigger):
+        raise garak.exception.GeneratorBackoffTrigger(
+            f"Transient HTTP {exc.status_code}, retrying with backoff"
+        ) from None
+
+
+def test_transient_429_raises_generator_backoff_trigger():
+    import garak.exception
+
+    with pytest.raises(garak.exception.GeneratorBackoffTrigger):
+        raise garak.exception.GeneratorBackoffTrigger(
+            "Transient HTTP 429, retrying with backoff"
+        ) from None
+
+
+def test_transient_502_raises_generator_backoff_trigger():
+    import garak.exception
+
+    with pytest.raises(garak.exception.GeneratorBackoffTrigger):
+        raise garak.exception.GeneratorBackoffTrigger(
+            "Transient HTTP 502, retrying with backoff"
+        ) from None
+
+
+def test_transient_status_code_tuple_members():
+    transient_codes = {408, 429, 502, 503, 504}
+    assert 408 in transient_codes
+    assert 429 in transient_codes
+    assert 502 in transient_codes
+    assert 503 in transient_codes
+    assert 408 in transient_codes
+    assert 404 not in transient_codes
+    assert 500 not in transient_codes
+    assert 403 not in transient_codes