News

NCBA pleased with Hours of Service exemption extension

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is pleased the hours-of-service exemption has been extended again for truckers hauling livestock. The new deadline is November 30^th.

NCBA’s director of government affairs Allison Rivera tells Brownfield Ag News they’re grateful to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for, “keeping those lines of communication open with us and continuing to extend this extension which we really need to be able to have that flexibility for our haulers. Not just during the pandemic but we continue to beat that drum that we need that continued flexibility.”

And she says Congress is waking up to the need as well, “We were successful in getting some language that will provide some flexibility within this larger infrastructure package which we hope will certainly get passed in the next month or so.”

Rivera says whether the flexibility in hours becomes permanent – the biggest thing is for the carrier safety administration and Congress to know the current structure, without that exemption, just doesn’t work for those hauling livestock.

Hours of service refers to the maximum time drivers are permitted to be on duty – including driving times – and specifies the length and number of rest periods they get to help make sure they stay awake and alert.

Current hours-of-service rules allow for 11 hours of drive time, 14 hours of on-duty time, and then 10 consecutive hours of rest.