The Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference, an affiliate of the American Trucking Assns., praised the passage of the highway reauthorization legislation that makes the agricultural exemption to the federal hours of service for truck drivers permanent
in federal law and clarifies the definition of “agricultural commodities.”
“It is imperative that commercial transporters of agricultural commodities have the flexibility to meet transportation demands during peak planting and harvesting seasons to ensure the efficient movement of all commodities so important to America’s food supply,” Fletcher R. Hall, executive director of the Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference, stated. “Clarifying the definition of agricultural commodities and making the agricultural exemption permanent is vitally important to both commercial agricultural transporters and American consumers.”
AFTC and ATA have worked for more than two years to clarify the definition of “agricultural commodity.” The agricultural exemption exempts agricultural transporters from federally mandated driver work and rest limits during peak planting and harvesting seasons, in the states, as determined by the states. The bill, which provides $286.4 billion to fund transportation projects through 2009, amends the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999.
Under the bill, “agricultural commodity” now is defined as any agricultural commodity, non-processed food, feed, fiber or livestock (including livestock as defined in section 602 of the Emergency Livestock Feed Assistance Act of 1988) and insects. The new statute also defines farm supplies for agricultural purposes as products directly related to the growing or harvesting of agricultural commodities during the planting and harvesting seasons within each state, as determined by each state, and livestock feed anytime of the year.
AFTC and ATA, working with a coalition of agricultural related organizations, supported the inclusion of this language in the highway reauthorization bill.
The Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference, founded in 1995, is the national organization representing commercial transporters of agricultural commodities, food, forest and mineral products.