Senate Bill Would Ease Livestock Trucking Limitations

A group of farm-state senators introduced a bill this week to help truckers transporting livestock operate with more flexibility that’s necessary when hauling live animals. Current “hours of service” regulations put strict caps on the amount of time a truck driver must be off the road each day. Though those regulations help with issues like inattentive or fatigued driving, it also doesn’t take into account animal welfare, lawmakers say. The bill would create a mileage radius exemption for drivers hauling livestock, and eliminate the seasonal harvest requirements for agricultural hours of service based on the commodity. The bill — the Haulers of Agriculture and Livestock Safety Act of 2021, or “HAULS Act” — is supported by both crop and livestock organizations who say the transport of ag commodities is critical to the overall food supply chain, not to mention the animal welfare component for livestock. See more on the bill.