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Comment period for Hours of Service petition ends today

The public comment period for an Hours of Service petition to allow livestock haulers more drive time is ending.

Livestock Marketing Association general counsel Jara Settles says nearly 200 comments have been submitted to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

“We don’t have a very clear timeline of what the agency is thinking (for any possible changes) to Hours of Service.”

The current rule only allows drivers 11 hours in a 14-hour workday, after which they are required to rest for 10 consecutive hours.

Settles tells Brownfield livestock haulers are exempt from those regulations through the end of the 2019 fiscal year, which ends September 30th.

“We’re still working through some proposed changes to the Hours of Service structure specific to livestock haulers, and we’d really love to see that ELD device extended through the 2020 spending package.”

Groups like LMA, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and American Farm Bureau Federation say livestock haulers need more flexibility to protect animals being transported.