The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday it will reconsider the Obama administration’s hours-of-service regulations. They propose more flexibility for livestock haulers including expanding the short-haul exemption from 12 hours on-duty to 14 hours. And extending the 14-hour on-duty limitation by up to two hours in adverse driving conditions. South Dakota Pork Producers Council Vice President Craig Andersen says these are steps in the right direction.
He says the Hours of Service and Electronic Logging Devices changes allow more humane handling and transportation of livestock.
And Andersen says that humane treatment is also important for those animals being trucked to packing plants for processing.
The Department of Transportation’s considerations also revise the current mandatory 30-minute break for drivers after 8 hours of continuous driving. Plus, it reinstates the option for splitting up the required 10 hour off-duty rest break for drivers operating trucks with sleeper compartments.
In December 2017, Noem co-sponsored legislation that would delay the ELD mandate for two years. In February 2018, Noem sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation to request exemptions for small businesses with exemplary safety records.
