Proposed Federal Hours-of-service Exemption
Thanks in Part to Peterson, Petri
ST PAUL, Minn. (July 15, 2010) – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) yesterday announced its proposal to grant a two-year, limited exemption from the federal hours-of-service regulations for the transportation of anhydrous ammonia, commonly used as a fertilizer in agriculture.
The FMCSA proposal is an acknowledgment that there are significant delivery constraints that are beyond the control of anhydrous ammonia motor carriers, like agricultural supply cooperatives.
“Each year, anhydrous ammonia suppliers struggle to meet farmer demand during busy planting and harvest times,” said Bill Oemichen, president and CEO of Cooperative Network. “Cooperative Network applauds the efforts of Congressmen Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Tom Petri of Wisconsin for bringing this issue to the attention of federal trucking regulators, and for their continued push for a long-term solution including other farm supplies besides just anhydrous ammonia.”
To avoid significant fertilizer shortages and to keep farmers in the field, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has declared an emergency for each of the past three years.
“The agency’s existing hours-of-service regulations are centered on economics that simply do not align with today’s agriculture,” said Oemichen. “The agency’s willingness to investigate potential safety concerns related to the proposed exemption and to act on its finding that the limited exemption would likely achieve a level of safety that is at least equivalent to, or greater than, the existing regulation is commendable. |
