Industry Groups Praise Legislation
Clarifying Hours of Service Exemption
Several industry groups recently voiced their support for legislation that would clarify transportation regulations that are critical to the agricultural sector’s ability to expeditiously distribute farm supplies, AgriMarketing reports.
Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) introduced the legislation intended to resolve questions regarding the applicability of the agricultural hours of service exemption. The exemption came into question in 2009 when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued an interpretation of the regulations that resulted in transportation restrictions for certain farm supplies.
The legislation introduced recently amends aspects of the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act, which served as the basis for FMCSA’s 2009 interpretation, to clarify the applicability of exemptions for agricultural products.
Identical legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in October by Reps. Sam Graves (R-MO) and Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO).
Specifically, the legislation clarifies that the agricultural hours of service exemption is applicable to:
- Drivers transporting agricultural commodities within a 100 air-mile radius;
- Drivers transporting farm supplies for agricultural purposes from a wholesale or retail business to a farm or other location where the farm supplies are intended to be used within a 100 air-mile radius from the distribution point; or
- Drivers transporting farm supplies from a wholesale location to a retail location so long as the transportation is within a 100 air-mile radius.