News
DOT grants 90-day waiver for livestock haulers
The Department of Transportation has granted livestock haulers a 90-day waiver from requiring them to install or use Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) in their trucks. Livestock groups had previously requested an exemption from the regulation because of the potential negative impact on animal well-being.
Jara Settles with the Livestock Marketing Association says while it isn’t a full exemption, the waiver is a step in the right direction. “We hope that the agency recognizes that this is a very small subset of specialized drivers that have a unique responsibility,” she says. “Not only to ensure motorist safety but also the welfare of the animals they transport.”
The new regulations, which go into effect December 18, would limit truckers to 11 hours of driving daily, after 10 consecutive hours off duty and restrict on-duty time to 14 consecutive hours, which also includes non-driving time.
She tells Brownfield the regulations pose serious challenges for livestock haulers and animal welfare. “We’d like to see a split sleeper-birth provision to add some flexibility for our drivers,” she says. “So they can split their resting time up into more natural and logical breaks. We’d also like to see the entire 14 hours of on-duty time devoted to drive-time specific to livestock haulers.”
Other livestock groups, like the National Pork Producers Council and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, say they are pleased with the department’s announcement. NPPC president Ken Maschhoff says drivers transporting livestock have a moral obligation to care for the animals they are hauling. He says the waiver gives the department additional time to consider the exemption request.
AUDIO: Jara Settles, Livestock Marketing Association
“Negative impact on animal well being”? The DOT just put animal well being before the safety of my kids and the entire motoring public? This is 90 days of potential disaster IF elds are actually about safety. DOT which way is it?