The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a notice (click here) and a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document (click here) regarding the statutory exemption for agricultural commodities and farm supplies from the hours of service regulations contained in the recently enacted transportation re-authorization legislation.
These statutory changes to the agricultural exemption were advocated by a coalition of agribusiness groups including The Fertilizer Institute, Agricultural Retailers Association, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and AFTC.
In issuing the notice, FMCSA withdraws its previous interpretation of the agricultural hours of service exemption which limited the movement of agricultural commodities from the source of the commodities or from a retail distribution point of the farm supplies. FMCSA further states that the limited two-year exemption from hours of service regulations for the transportation of anhydrous ammonia is no longer necessary due to the statutory changes. States are required by U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations (49 CFR 350.331) to amend their laws and regulations within three years, and FMCSA is encouraging states to take immediate action to put into place the new policy.
The new agricultural hours of service exemption requirements are effective October 1.