Agricultural Machinery Illumination Safety Act

On July 6, 2012, when President Obama signed into law the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, aka Highway Funding Bill, many small manufacturers of farm equipment may not have been thinking about the text that appears on page 371 of the 584 page law. That’s where you will find Subtitle F-Improved Daytime and Nighttime — Visibility of Agricultural Equipment.

This law requires the Secretary of Transportation, after consultation with representatives of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and appropriate Federal agencies, and with other appropriate persons, to promulgate a rule to improve the daytime and nighttime visibility of agricultural equipment that may be operated on a public road.

While the law gives the Secretary of Transportation the authority to set “minimum standards” it forbids any rule that would require the retrofitting of agricultural equipment that was manufactured before the date on which the lighting and marking standards become enforceable.

This subject will be addressed in depth during the Towed Implement Council meeting, Saturday, November 3, during our Fall Convention in Jacksonville.