ELD waiver extended for ag haulers
Posted March 14, 2018
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is extending a waiver from the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate for drivers transporting livestock and other agricultural commodities.
The agency has agreed to an additional 90-day temporary waiver from the ELD rule for agriculture-related transportation. A waiver issued in late December is due to expire on March 18, 2018. The extension will appear soon in the Federal Register, the FMCSA says.
The waiver applies to drives transporting agricultural commodities, which include livestock as well as unprocessed food, feed, fiber, and insects. Livestock is further defined to include cattle, elk, reindeer, bison, horses, deer, sheep, goats, swine, poultry, fish used for food, and other animals that are part of a foundation herd.
The existing ELD waiver specifically applies to “motor carriers transporting agricultural commodities under the provisions of 49 CFR 395.1(k)(1) … regardless of the distance traveled.”
The FMCSA also says it will soon issue final guidance on both the agricultural hours-of-service exemption and personal conveyance.
“We continue to see strong compliance rates across the country that improve weekly, but we are mindful of the unique work our agriculture community does and will use the following 90 days to ensure we publish more helpful guidance that all operators will benefit from,” said FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez.
This article was written by Daren Hansen of J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
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