The threat to the hours of service exemptions for trucks transporting time-sensitive agricultural commodities will be the topic of an educational session at the American Trucking Associations Management Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Fla., October 27-30.

The session "Is There A Future for Hours of Service Ag Exemptions" will discuss agricultural exemptions to federal hours of service regulations that have been a critical part of commercial agricultural transportation since 1995. Federal hours of service regulations proposed in 2000 threaten to eliminate existing exemptions.
"With increased emphasis on just-in-time deliveries, longer agricultural commodities hauls, changing shipper requirements and recent attempts to revise exemption policy, now is a good time to review the significance of ag exemptions in the future of commercial agricultural transportation," said Fletcher R. Hall, Executive Director of ATA's Agricultural Transport Conference. "Exemptions for commercial agricultural transporters are key to the success of trucking companies in this sector of the industry who transport commodities ranging from produce to livestock to honey bees to wine."
The session will feature a panel of experts, including ag haulers, regulators and USDA officials who will discuss the exemptions and their importance in the transport of farm commodities and forest products.