A coalition of groups tied to fruit and vegetable shippers, producers, and handlers is petitioning the federal government for exemptions from Hours of Service (HOS) and Electronic Logging Device (ELD) rules.
Agricultural haulers and livestock haulers already have a great deal more flexibility than most OTR drivers when it comes to HOS requirements. For example, an ag hauler’s 14-hour on-duty clock and 11-hour drive clock don’t start ticking until they are 150 air-miles away from their origin point.
A letter signed by 24 groups including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Produce Marketing Association, the United Fresh Produce Association, and the Vegetable Growers Association was sent to FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez. In it, the groups claim that exemptions to HOS and ELD regulations need to be made in order to compensate for the “unique challenges” that the agricultural industry faces.
Here are some of the proposed changes which would impact only drivers hauling agricultural commodities like perishable fruits and vegetables.
- Let drivers “pause” their HOS clock for as long as they want, as often as they want, during non-driving periods.
- Exclude loading and unloading times from 14-hor HOS calculations entirely.
- Allow split sleeper time of 5/5, 6/4, and 7/3 blocks in addition to the current 8/2 split which is required in order to count for 10-hours of off-duty time.
- Add a 150 air-mile buffer at the end of trips as well. This would allow drivers to complete their trip if they come within 150 air-miles of their destination without needing to stay within their allowable hours.
The groups called the requested exemptions “urgent issue[s] of utmost importance,” but acknowledged that “some modification requests are more feasible for immediate implementation than others.”
In the conclusion of the letter, the groups also suggest not bothering enforcing HOS rules for ag haulers at all. “If FMCSA cannot modify the HOS and ELD rules as requested, we urge a delay of enforcement of the HOS and ELD rules for two to four years,” the groups wrote.
You can read the full petition here.
Source: gobytrucknews, overdrive, truckersreport
Taylor says
You can join the rest of the Industry in that if one driver can’t handle it, then you run TEAM!
Robert M Killmer says
Read what the end of the letter said.. people shall not comment on what they have not read fully or.. not comprehend what it is they’re reading.. you should probably keep your comments to yourself. just sayin
Short Circuit says
I say no special rules for anyone. If it’s good for them it’s good for all. I petition to exempt fuel haulers ALSO !!!!
Buck says
You are correct run teams . Rules need to be the same for all. If you can’t do the job in the lot of time by the federal government then get out of driving. You should have no special rules just because you haul cows or fruit or vegetables. Your not any better of a driver than I am after my 11 hours of drive time so suck it.
Jay Stensrud says
Again with your ignorance. I’m sure your folks & family are proud. Who knows. You probably talk like that at the supper table.
combil says
Just for your knowledge , the FMCSA s the one that put the 11 hour rule as the max time you can haul livestock, then you have to rest them off the truck
Jerry says
Amen…I agree driver….No special privalages!!
Jerry says
Amen I agree driver….No special privalages!!
John brueckman says
I think everybody should be on the same rules.i just found out farmers can run there tractors 24 / 7 why don’t they have Elds in there tractors their no different than us.
Tony L Peebles says
They are different they don’t operate on public highways
Turner says
John Brueckman
Exactly how does a farmer running a tractor out in the field have anything to do with driving up and down the freeway?
Duh says
John Brueckman – how many drug tests have you failed? The logic-comparison-analogy part of your brain has obviously been smoked away…
Jay Stensrud says
Obviously all farm folks and ranch folks. At harvest. Pretty much everything ends up on a truck. A lot of these trucks are in the fields with the farmers and ranchers. Unlike our modern day “driver” using that term loosely. They do whatever needs to be done to get the harvest in. No matter what it may be. More often then not they haul that commodity to some destination. That takes place on the pavement. I’d hope you’d understand this next part but you didn’t understand the first part so I’ll continue. You won’t see big trucking on these farms and ranch’s. You won’t see grocery store chain trucks out there either. Even after harvest. Let’s say produce farms with huge loading facilities like on the west coast. Produce loaded for the east coast. You won’t see big trucking there either. Why ? It can’t be done with all the regulations state and federal agencies have put on the industry. Personally I haven’t been out to the farm or ranch in years. Back when I ran that circuit we had 72 hours to get out east. Mind you we wait 10 hours or better to get loaded. If you don’t make it then the buyer starts pencil whipping the truck. I’d be surprised if any of it’s changed. Livestock hauling is even worse. One thing about hauling livestock though. Usually you can get on and off loaded a little quicker. Still none of it’s easy. If you look at the dollar to the inflation rate over the years. We’re a push from the 40s to modern day wages. Why ? Because even if one man stands up against big trucking. As he looks around for his brothers. You’ll find Good Men are just like Truck Drivers. Getting harder to find everyday.
Kevin says
Typical freight hauler responses. Hauling freight and live animals is not even close to the same job. Just run team they say……anyone that realy believes that is an uninformed idiot.
combil says
I wonder what your forte is Kevin ? Driving is driving
Jesus Freak says
If driving is driving, why do so many freight haulers complain about shifting loads. My load of livestock shifts from the time I put it on until it gets off.
Joe Barilari says
Given time and a slight creative bent, almost anyone can find a reason the rules shouldn’t apply to them.
Just look at every gov official from police officers on up…
Faeryn James Lee says
Run team. I don’t understand how a team couldn’t solve this problem. If it’s a hot load, a team could get it anywhere faster than some old tweaker running an extremely loose clock.
Lady Doe says
YOU GOT THAT RIGHT DRIVER!! THEY HAVE NO CLUE WHAT GOES ON WITH PRODUCE. BUT I BET THEY WANT IT FRESH ON THEIR TABLE FOR THE FAMILY.
Mike says
I agree they want fresh food so there are a lot drivers who are selfish and don’t think about the long term goals.ask and you will receive as Jesus says in the holy word.
Lady Doe says
FOOD SAFETY AND FRESHNESS. THE SHELF LIFE IS VERY SHORT.
Steven says
Ok refrigerated trailers, reefers haul food to, why not exempt us too? Under this logic, we are all special with unique circumstances. However I like the idea of loading and unloading time not counting against the 14.
Faeryn James Lee says
Clocks make people angry. People are outright hostile in this comment section.
Tyranny always uses appealing language to dupe its victims, in our industry (the only industry capable of completely shutting a nation down without arms or violence) that word is ‘safety’, and with it neutered and made those in this industry powerless.
We could literally force any change we wanted, such as eliminating the pointless HOS stupidity all together along with every member of the fake FMCSA.
Using the excuse of safety to implement a control grid was pulled off with nonsense stories of guys falling asleep at the wheel as a justification for it.
Anyone too stupid to stop driving when tired would eventually do something stupid enough to kill themselves and/or others whether they are behind a wheel or not. Because they’re stupid. Tyranny can’t fix stupid.
And allowing these retards to govern us is our own fault. Like the tired driver, all we have to do is stop driving. In less than a week the message would be heard loud and clear: we’re in charge of our selves and our industry.
Once those store shelves go empty, the fat shiftless, brain dead consumers will panic and apply the pressure on the suits to play ball.
The only problem in this whole thing is that most truckers are fat brain dead consumers too.
So all you ranch people either deny the market your product and eat the loss to get your point across, or STFU and hire a second driver like rest of us spineless losers.
B Nasby says
Yeah that sounds about right. I’ve been driving 7 years and it’s gradually dawned on me that I personally wouldn’t need HOS rules as I flat out refuse to drive when I’m tired. I’m never late, but I do trip plan carefully and manage my time so that I’m never fatigued. But I’ll be late before I’ll ever drive fatigued. That said, some dispatchers are clueless. Dispatching with Google maps. “You can get there in blah blah hours according to Google”. I just put my head on the steering wheel and weep.
RenoBlues says
Amen
Reuben Titus says
I’ve been there, contended with the impossible nature of trying to make random situations fit a fixed schedule. Then add to that live animals or even many tons of perishable food. Drivers do need a lot more flexibility than they are being given. Trouble is; give the flexibility and a few take it too far and prove themselves unfit by running dangerous. It a no win situation. Really has no good answer, just because too many drivers won’t use self discipline when they have opportunity.
It so bad I just wanted out pretty fast once I got in, contending with the HOS mess was too stressful added to the already high stress of city driving and long boring times on the open road. I quit hauling and am going into the production of produce to be hauled.
Robert Tomlinson jr says
I think we all need some kind of break with hos. The traffic is SK bad all the time it’s just killing us.!
Scott says
When do dry vans get their exemptions?
Linda Merritts says
The rules are the rules and they should be for everyone. Talk about the big Discrimination word. If government would get out of a industry they know nothing about and let the truckers do there job. Everything would be better
a grown adult knows when they need to sleep and when they need to go to the bathroom. If you are in your sleep and you have to pee government says just hold it for how ever many more hours because the law is you must stay in that sleeper for 10 hours. Tell the government employees that make them work all these crazy hours that is a big joke
Robert McBride says
No one group hauling any products. Should be exempt.. those groups are not any more important than they rest of us.. The American Farm Bureau Federation, the Produce Marketing Association, the United Fresh Produce Association, and the Vegetable Growers Association and so, just need to keep throwing more money at this it will eventually land in the right pockets..
Duh says
Um, guys?
You should be ROOTING for these exemptions to go through.
Sure, they seem unfair at first, I’ll give you that.
But Big Picture? You can then use the data from those drivers to BENEFIT YOURSELF!
“The AG drivers didn’t have any increase in Safety violations, so we now have a 100 Million Mile+ sample size proving that the HOS rules need to be relaxed.”
Extrapolate the data all you want, for whatever cause you need. But every time there is an exception, they are just creating a large sample size for data collection.
If you 100% believe that the HOS rules don’t make the roads any safer, you should be BEGGING for certain segments to get exceptions so you can use that in the future to help your cause.
Quit being a petty, selfish, jealous children…
You can be just as self-serving by supporting the exceptions (which don’t hurt you at all, by the way) and thanking them later.
Your industry lobby groups aren’t protesting the exemptions for that exact reason. Please fellow truck drivers – Don’t make all of us look like emotionally stunted fools just this once?? Please? We need HOS flexibility, and the exceptions help all of us, and literally prove your point!
Duh.
trokerito says
I can’t believe some people here are sooooo stupid and idiots. please, try to see the big picture….. just like some one said ” tyranny doesn’t fix stupidity” if you are that stupid to have someone order you when to sleep, when to rest , when to take a leak …then you should never be allowed to drive a truck, period.
Jay Stensrud says
The folks who lobbied for and voted on this system carry not one CDL amongst them. It’s the same with upper management in big trucking. Truck Drivers and Good men are getting harder to find everyday. I’m ashamed at what I see daily out on the road. Comes in all shapes and sizes. Cow trucks. Reefer trucks. Dry box’s. Flat beds. Container haulers. Fuel haulers. Freight haulers. Parking lots. Hot shots. Don’t matter. Respect starts with yourself. We all help each other up and down the road it makes everyone’s day a little better. Acting like you have any sense in the truck stop. We call that being courteous to others. If you don’t like the ELDs or the HOS Regulations. Start driving like they want you to. Mandatory 30 minute break by law within the first 8 hours. You also have a meal break and 2 ten minute breaks allowed by the Federal Government. Also after 10 hours there’s additional Federal breaks that come into play. Won’t be long and they’ll be looking at modifying HOS as it’s written today. No one can force you to do anything. If you hire on as a team driver you can also work the system. Remember. They know everything about what we do. We know nothing about what we do out here. Safety ? Now that’s a joke. Someone who’s never stepped foot in a truck. Completes 168 hours of training and I’ve yet to see one “fail” in our company is qualified to drive a tractor trailer/s up and down the road no matter what’s on board or what road conditions are. Safety. 800 hours of hands on training to become a certified dog groomer. 2 years to hold a license to cut people’s hair. If we’re to gauge that. We have the safest dog groomers and hair stylist in the whole wide world.
Jjags says
Why why would anyone ask for more time to be enslaved? Drive with what you have, let the fruits and veggies go bad and that will speak for itself. You should ask for more money for the work you do now, not more hours to make less. Truckers are dumb. Yes I said it.
combil says
And you are the very driver that should have been disqualified from the first interview
David says
What’s fair for the goose,should be fair for the gander! If you get some slack,I want slack also. We all were supposed to be on “Obama care” but , if I remember correctly, the very ones that passed it , voted themselves out . Evidently it wasn’t good enough for them, but it was supposedly good enough for us. Thank you very much ! So much for equality. Why should this be any different?
Michael says
“No QUESTION TO IT!!”If it has 18 wheels or more, what goes for one {1}should apply for all.. What makes any other truck driver SPECIAL…
Sid says
Your missing the whole deal a cow trucker needs a few more hours to get say 900 miles it would take more time to load reload than you. Luke of drove a few more hours I’m not a tree hugger but that would be more stress on the cattle but u don’t know the difference any how I got to put rubber under em and some smoke over em