Letter to FMCSA: Advocacy Supports Application to Modify Hours of Service Rule for Livestock Drivers
The U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) submits the following comments on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Request for Comments on Notice of Application for Exemption from Certain Provisions of Hours of Service of Drivers Rule by Livestock and Related Drivers that was published in the Federal Register on February 6, 2019. The application was made on behalf of drivers who transport livestock, insects, and aquatic animals with special transportation needs, and was filed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Livestock Marketing Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Beekeeping Federation, American Honey Producers Association and the National Aquaculture Association. The applicants request approval of a sixteen-hour on-duty period during which these drivers would be permitted to drive up to fifteen hours and would only commence after ten consecutive hours off duty. All other aspects of the current Hours of Service of Drivers rules for these drivers would remain unchanged.