Recently, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) updated their website to address questions concerning existing agricultural exemptions and exceptions for agriculture along with those hauling horses or show animals.  The updated website is here.

At the Senate EPW hearing last week, Senators Ernst (R-IA) and Moran (R-KS) pressed Secretary of Transportation Chao about the challenges around ELD’s and the lack of the agency’s response to our petition for a longer term exemption from ELD’s.  Secretary Chao responded by saying: “If we do anything, it will be another waiver, but that is not a long-term solution,” Chao told the committee. “A decision will have to come up before March 18.”

Sen. Moran noted that the industry is seeking a five-year delay for implementation of ELD and is currently working on a legislative fix as part of the appropriations process and that it could even be tacked onto an omnibus expected by the end of March.

FMCSA is finally beginning to do outreach concerning agricultural exemptions, exceptions and the ELD mandate.  Attached and pasted below are materials that could be circulating among Virginia’s FMCSA offices.

If ELDs are Required

If an entity is subject to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s hours-of-service rules and is required to use ELDs, you can find additional information at:

• ELD Website:fmcsa.dot.gov/elds
• ELD FAQs:https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hours-service/elds/faqs
• A listing of registered and revoked ELD devices:https://3pdp.fmcsa.dot.gov/ELD/ELDList.aspx

More Information

• Farm, Ranch, and Agricultural questions can be submitted to:agricultural@dot.gov
• ELD questions from the enforcement community should contact:ELDEnforcement@dot.gov
• Public ELD questions should be sent to: ELD@dot.gov

Downloads:

• Exemption.Reference.Guide
• FMCSA Presentation on AG and HOS Limits
• FMCSA Ag Presentation
• Electronic Logging Devices Requirements for Agriculture