The California Farm Bureau Federation is asking the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to exempt its members who transport live bees from the 30-minute break required of drivers by the 2013-implemented federal hours-of-service rule.
The FMCSA says the exemption, if granted, would apply to bee haulers nationwide.
The farm bureau says in its request that bees must, while in transit, have “a flow of cool, fresh air to the hives” and any heat can place the bees in danger. If trucks transporting bee hives stop for 30 minutes in warm weather, “the risk of harm to the bees would be significant and possibly fatal,” CFBF says in its application, scheduled to be published Thursday in the Federal Register.
FMCSA is accepting public comment on the request for 30 days, starting Thursday. Check back then for the link to the regulations.gov rulemaking portal.
