90-day ELD waiver given to ag haulers

livestock exemption

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently gave haulers of agricultural products a second 90-day break on compliance with the mandated installation of electronic logging devices. The agency also said that during this time it will publish final guidance on both the agricultural 150 air-mile 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.

Truckers covered by the waiver include those carrying “any agricultural commodity, non-processed food, feed, fiber or livestock.” Livestock is defined cattle, elk, reindeer, bison, horses, deer, sheep, goats, swine, poultry (including egg-producing poultry), fish used for food and “other animals designated … that are part of a foundation herd or offspring,” according to the FMCSA.

The extension of the ag-related waiver comes as the April 1 deadline for full enforcement of the ELD rule looms. Carriers subject to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations that do not have an ELD when required will be placed out-of-service by law enforcement. After that:

  • The driver will remain out-of-service for 10 hours in accordance with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance criteria.
  • At that point, to facilitate compliance, the driver will be allowed to travel to the next scheduled stop and should not be dispatched again without an ELD.
  • If the driver is dispatched again without an ELD, the motor carrier will be subject to further enforcement action.

For more information on ELDs can be found at the FMCSA website.