Farmers from Virginia are concerned about new Trucking Regulations that could affect the way they raise livestock.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has enforced new rules that keeps truck drivers on the road for 11 hours/day. In 2017, federal regulations forced truck drivers to use electronic logging devices to track hours. This device turns on whenever the engine is started and hours are recorded.

Jeremy Moyer is a farmer from Virginia who sells cattle to consumers in Pennsylvania. Jeremy knows how much work it takes to be a farmer. He is concerned the new regulations could affect his business.

“Sometimes you might need another 30 minutes to take good care of your animal,” Moyer said. “But if you have these strict rules that apply to all trucking and don’t treat livestock differently.”

ELD devices protect drivers and those on the road but it does affect farmers who raise and transport livestock.

“They aren’t a box of shoes,” Moyer explained. “The trailers the cows are hauled on are ventilated and made to be moving and if you run out of time and have to stop, there’s no air conditioning in there, the air conditioning is moving.”

Farmers Go To Congress

Rep. Abigail Spanberger sat down with Virginia farmers. Spanberger wanted to hear the farmers concerns and how to develop new Trucking Regulations, with farmers in mind. After this meeting, Spanberger and Rep. Denver Riggleman sent a letter to Congress urging them to delay the Trucking Regulations for at least a year. This would give them time to develop new laws that keep drivers safe.

“If a farmer has to hire a second driver or has to find some other way to get these animals there within these restrictive ELD and hours of service rules, those additional costs are going to be passed to the consumer so that means higher prices at the grocery store,” Moyer said.