Exemption for all agricultural haulers

(Posted on 31/03/20)

In a letter to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in the USA, the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and 53 other agricultural groups have urged that the agency grant relief from federal drive time rules for all truck drivers hauling agricultural goods.

“As trucking capacity and the availability of drivers tightens due to COVID-19, neither surge nor normal trucking capacity may be adequately available to provide the required just-in-time deliveries to animal feeding operations, food processing and manufacturing plants, distribution facilities, export facilities and retail outlets, which could result in significant food chain supply disruptions,” the groups said.

The agency previously issued an emergency declaration due to COVID-19, but that only exempted drivers delivering food to distribution and retail facilities from compliance with federal hours-of-service rules that limit drive time until at least April 12. The agency expressly included livestock in the exemption. However, today’s letter notes that FMCSA’s previous action “was insufficient to adequately encompass the major beginning and middle segments of the food and agricultural supply chain….Each sector of that chain is linked, and when one segment is affected adversely, the ripple effects extend throughout the supply chain.”

To address tightening trucking capacity and disruptions to truck transport, the groups urged FMCSA “to expand and extend the hours-of-service relief from farm-to-fork.”

The NGFA and other groups said the emergency declaration should be extended to include truck transport of: raw and processed agricultural commodities, animal food and feed ingredients, processed food and food ingredients, honey bees and farm supplies (such as seed, fertilizer and other agricultural products and chemicals needed by farmers to grow crops) “to adequately preserve the resiliency of our nation’s food supply during the pandemic.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently identified the full food and agricultural supply chain as essential critical infrastructure workers that have a special responsibility to continue operations, the letter noted.

“The operations within the food and agricultural chain are closely linked and continuing operations requires timely shipping and receiving…We urge FMCSA to extend the hours-of-service relief to include all food and agricultural critical infrastructure operations to ensure the viability of the food distribution system,” the groups stated.

The groups also requested that FMCSA add flexibility to the process for obtaining new restricted agricultural commercial driver’s licenses, assist in keeping truck washouts open that are necessary for the sanitary transportation of many food products, and provide leadership in harmonizing the temporary increases in truck weight limits that have been announced by several states.

Latest News

Rio Tinto’s first Western Australian-made iron ore rail cars

Rio Tinto’s first locally made iron ore rail car has been built in Western Australia, as it steps... Read more

ADM and Mitsubishi form strategic agriculture supply chain alliance

ADM and Mitsubishi Corporation have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to form a strategic... Read more

ESL Shipping and SSAB extend cooperation in raw material transports

ESL Shipping and global steel manufacturer SSAB have agreed on a multi-year extension of the agreement... Read more

Sakatti copper project in Finland awarded ‘Strategic Project’ status by EU

Anglo American’s Sakatti copper and polymetallic project in Finland has been designated as a &... Read more

FEFAC calls for targeted transatlantic feed trade agreement

FEFAC, representing the EU compound feed and premix manufacturers, noted with deep concern the announced... Read more

Cargill inaugurates new corn milling plant in Gwalior, India

Catering to the growing demand from India’s confectionery, infant formula, and dairy sectors,... Read more

Metal Park launches storage hub in KEZAD

Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi – KEZAD Group, the largest operator of integrated and purpose... Read more

Rio Tinto to invest $1.8bn to develop Western Australia Brockman mine

Rio Tinto will invest $1.8 billion1 to develop the Brockman Syncline 1 mine project (BS1), extending... Read more

Canadian steel industry denounces tariffs on Canada

Catherine Cobden, President and CEO of the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA), has released... Read more

Study: Enough scrap to meet rising U.S. demand for recycled steel

Enough domestic ferrous scrap is available for electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmakers to supply nearly... Read more