Colorado Corn

Department of Transportation Announces No New Regulations for Farm Vehicles

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced yesterday that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) would not implement its proposed guidance regulating the transport of agricultural products.  The Department received strong feedback from the farming community in June and July opposing any new regulations.  NCGA and other coalition partners met with FMCSA earlier this summer and submitted comments objecting to the guidance on August 1^st.

The press release from FMCSA outlines their decision:

1.)  FMCSA will issue no additional guidance on the issue of interstate vs. intrastate commerce.  Current legal interpretations will be maintained.

2.)  FMCSA is clarifying that a grower transporting grain under a crop share agreement should NOT be defined as a “for hire” motor carrier, therefore states cannot require a commercial drivers license (CDL) for these activities.  This is actually a step forward for the agricultural community in clarifying an issue that had created confusion in several states.

3.)  FMCSA will issue no additional regulations or new definitions for “implements of husbandry”.  After hearing from growers, FMCSA now believes that “most States have already adopted common sense enforcement practices that allow farmers to safely move equipment to and from their fields.” 

Secretary LaHood stated, “We have no intention of instituting onerous regulations on the hardworking farmers who feed our country and fuel our economy.  Farmers deserve to know that reasonable, common sense exemptions will continue to be consistently available to agricultural operations across the country, and that’s why we released this guidance.”   

NCGA appreciates those states and individual growers who weighed in with FMCSA over the past month.  This is a major victory for the agricultural community and for common sense regulations.