Farmers may need CDLs

Rat · Aug 13, 2011

http://www.gazettevirginian.com/index.php/news/34-news/3739-proposed-rule-on-farms-called-absurd

A new rule being proposed by the federal Department of Transportation would require farmers to get commercial drivers licenses.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is a part of DOT, wants to adopt standards that would reclassify all farm vehicles and implements as Commercial Motor Vehicles, officials said. Likewise, the proposal, if adopted, would require all farmers and everyone on the farm who operates any of the equipment to obtain a CDL, they added.
The proposed rule change would mean that anyone who drives a tractor or operates any piece of motorized farming equipment would be required to pass the same tests and complete the same detailed forms and logs required of semi-tractor trailer drivers.
Drivers would keep logs of information including hours worked and miles traveled. Vehicles would be required to display DOT numbers. A CDL in Virginia costs $64 for eight years, or $8 per year, not including the cost of an instructional class and the written test.
Click to expand...

In away, I am for this and against it.

I don't seer the need for them to have a CDL to operate regular farm equipment but when they get behind the wheel of a truck or hire a bunch of people that have never driven a truck before and set them loose in a tractor trailer or tandem, tri axle or quad axle straight truck. Then I feel they should all need some type of liscense and other training rather then what they got driving a regular car or pickup down the highways.

It is really bad in my area during Potato and sugar beet harvest since they both usually run at the same time. We litterally have 100s and 100s of trucks being driven down the highways by people who have only had experience driving a car or pickup.

Just in my county we have many many serious accidents involving people driving trucks that have had hardly any time behind the wheel of them.

Plus they don't have to follow any type of hours of service rules etc. I know many that will work 20 hours a day in a truck, take a 4 hour nap and back to behind the wheel of a farm truck for another 20 hours and they will do this for weeks on end.

SHO-TYME · Aug 14, 2011

It was the Illinois DOT that was proposing this. Heard it on the LockRidge Report.

shriner75 · Aug 14, 2011

I agree with farmers needing CDL for the tractor trailers, But for keeping them limited to hours of farming will bankrupt them and crops will go bad. Been around the ag scene for a long time and when they do farm work its really only two different times per year. SPring planting and harvest and usually ots 2/3 weeks at a time.

cowboy_tech · Aug 14, 2011

A cdl for tractors... Sounds more like money hungry bureaucrats.

You've been-----\/\/\/\-----Thunderstruck!!!
With a ThunderStick

nckid · Aug 14, 2011

more government=more headaches.

Kansas · Aug 14, 2011

Yup, just what we need more @#$%%%@#% laws...

Rat · Aug 14, 2011

shriner75 said: ↑

I agree with farmers needing CDL for the tractor trailers, But for keeping them limited to hours of farming will bankrupt them and crops will go bad. Been around the ag scene for a long time and when they do farm work its really only two different times per year. SPring planting and harvest and usually ots 2/3 weeks at a time.
Click to expand...

I know some farmers that run two 12 hour shifts and two seperate crews for harvesting etc. Them seem to do alright. Their workers are nto overly tired etc.

Roadmedic · Aug 14, 2011

SHO-TYME said: ↑

It was the Illinois DOT that was proposing this. Heard it on the LockRidge Report.
Click to expand...

More like Ray Lahood.

I live in Illinois, and nothing was ever said by the state except for this blowhard who is from the state.

Read the first post and you will find it was proposed by.

Illinois has always had a thing for the way farmers operate.

Many of the farmers will haul commercially on their farm plates and you will see them hauling general freight.

They avoid the cost of operations that everyone has to do. Like insurance and logs.

bullhaulerswife · Aug 14, 2011

This is just one more attempt to shut down the family farm. My brothers both started farming around 12. No one is going to issue a 12 year old a CDL to run a tractor up and down the fields to disk. This freaking burns my butt. Simply because coming from a family farm, everyone pitches in, and farming kids get a sense of work ethic from helping with the operation. Now the government wants to take that fundamental away from those families too.

lovesthedrive · Aug 14, 2011

Here in Maine we have a law that allows Farmers to operate with out licenses. LD 245 I think. You can also operate a farm tractor / equipment unregistered / uninsured as the average speed is less than 20mph.

Log in or Sign up

Forums

Find Trucking Jobs

Farmers may need CDLs

Rat Road Train Member

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

SHO-TYME Road Train Member

shriner75 Heavy Load Member

cowboy_tech Road Train Member

nckid Light Load Member

Kansas Road Train Member

Rat Road Train Member

Roadmedic Road Train Member

bullhaulerswife Forum Leader/Admin Staff Member Administrator

lovesthedrive R.I.P.

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

Log in or Sign up

Useful Searches

Find Trucking Jobs

Farmers may need CDLs

Rat Road Train Member

Wait, employers can't reach you!

SHO-TYME Road Train Member

shriner75 Heavy Load Member

cowboy_tech Road Train Member

nckid Light Load Member

Kansas Road Train Member

Rat Road Train Member

Roadmedic Road Train Member

bullhaulerswife Forum Leader/Admin Staff Member Administrator

lovesthedrive R.I.P.

Wait, employers can't reach you!