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| Posted Tue, Nov 28 2017 05:55 PM CST | ||
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LIVESTOCK NETWORK LIVESTOCK NETWORK LIVESTOCK NETWORK DE LEON, TX 254-592-3796 Posts: 17 |
United States Cattlemen's Association View this email in your browser If we sound repetitive, we're not apologizing for it - we need YOU to get in the fight today! Now is not the time to slow down, despite a 90-day delay granted by FMCSA for all transporters of agriculture. If anything, this buys us MORE time to get Congress to act. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) are circulating a letter to their colleagues in support of the language included in the House FY18 Appropriations Bill to delay the implementation of electronic logging devices (ELDs) for livestock and insect haulers. Both Republicans and Democrats are dragging their feet in signing-on to this letter - the deadline to sign-on is November 30th. Now, we need Senators from across the country to SIGN THIS LETTER --- we’re asking YOU to call your Senator today and ask them to SIGN. Calling your Senator should take less than 5 minutes - here's your script: "Hi, my name is ________ and I'm a livestock hauler/producer in your state. The upcoming deadline for commercial motor vehicles to install an Electronic Logging Device is quickly approaching. On December 18, all operators with a vehicle model year of 2000 and older will be required to install the device, which hooks up directly to the vehicle's engine to track vehicle motion. The Hours-of-Service rules which haulers abide by limits drivers to 14 hours of on-duty time, including 11 total hours of driving time, but only after 10 consecutive hours off-duty. The livestock industry needs the one-year delay of implementation to work with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for additional flexibility in the restrictive Hours-of-Service rules so that they can safely do their jobs while also looking out for the health and welfare of the animals. Senators Jerry Moran and Heidi Heitkamp are circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter in support of this one-year delay - I encourage (YOUR SENATOR'S NAME) to reach out to these offices and sign-on. For any questions, please call the United States Cattlemen's Association - they can be reached at (202) 870-1552. Thank you!" Call Congress The House Small Business Committee will host a hearing tomorrow aptly named: "Highway to Headache" As stated by the Committee: "The trucking industry plays a critical role in the United States economy. America’s businesses rely on the trucking industry to transport and deliver all types of goods and products. Many trucking companies can be as small as a one-person business and are subject to many of the same federal requirements as large trucking companies, including transportation safety regulations, environmental regulations, worker safety regulations, and labor regulations. Industries that rely on the trucking industry or use trucking as part of their business model can also be subject to many of the same regulations. This hearing will examine how federal regulations affect the small trucking industry and explore ways to provide regulatory relief to the industry." Tune in tomorrow at 11:00am Eastern to listen to it LIVE. Tune In The Federal Motor Carrier System Administration (FMCSA) has posted the proposed rule online in the Federal Register and is requesting public comment. This proposed rule is for a FULL EXEMPTION for livestock and insect haulers from the Electronic Logging Devices mandate. This is our opporutnity to make some noise! Go to: http://www.regulations.gov Type in: Docket No. FMCSA-2017-0297 (you can cut and paste) Click on: Submit a Formal Comment Follow the instruction on the screen. You can attach a letter from you own files, cut and paste your letter in the box provided, or simply type your comments in the box. Comments are due by 11:59pm EST on November 30th, 2017. Please remember to be RESPECTFUL, RATIONAL, and REASONABLE in your remarks. The folks who read these comments are looking for QUALITY not QUANTITY. Submitting a thoughtful comment, with personal examples, guarantees that the comment will be taken into account. Please use correct grammar and make every effort to spell all words correctly. Additionally, only use factual data and figures. Please do not use data and figures that are being used on social media. Comment Now! Writer's Block? Here's a list of talking points to help get you started. Use this as a starting point and add in your own personal experiences for authenticity. ELDs will detrimentally impact the livestock hauling industry. Our members haul live animals - not steel or furniture - and cannot simply 'pull over' when the clock runs out. This poses both an animal safety and welfare risk. Research from Kansas State University suggests that animal transport should be limited to a maximum of 15-25 hours. Additionally, the Master Cattle Transporter program and the National Pork Board's Transport Quality Assurance program offer specific suggestions on keeping animals comfortable on long trips, including temperature considerations and the appropriate length of time animals should be on the trailer. These programs are both government-funded. Concerns with implementation of the ELD enforcement deadline of December 18, 2017 still exist. ELD training is not yet incorporated into industry programs such as Pork and Beef Quality Assurance. Thus, livestock haulers should be exempted from the ELD mandate. The livestock and insect industries would like to see more flexibility or an exemption on the Hours of Service rules to meet the real world demands and economic expectations of hauling live animals. Livestock industries, including the United States Cattlemen's Association, are working on a long-term solution to this issue while also taking into account new FMCSA guidance on a current flexibility. Welcomed flexibility to the HOS rule pertaining to livestock haulers would allow: A 150-air mile grace exemption to RODs at the conclusion of a haul. This would allow a livestock hauler to conclude their journey if they are within 150 air miles of their destination when they “run out of drive time.” A split sleeper berth provision. This would allow livestock haulers to take rests in their sleeper berths whereby any time over two hours spent in a sleeper berth acts as a “credit” for additional drive time. A 24 hour restart on logbook hours of service. The economic development of small rural and remote communities will be harmed. Shipping costs will increase, with the brunt of this increase being fronted by the producer and hauler. In some cases, regular shipping in rural communities may decrease in frequency or even become unavailable. Your Issues. Your Livelihood. Your Association. If you're not a member of the U.S. Cattlemen's Association, you need to be. We're working everyday in Washington, D.C. to better the U.S. cattle industry. Click HERE. December 12th 6am PT | 7am MT | 8am CT | 9am ET Dial: 1-866-254-5984 No Passcode Required For news you can use, find & follow us. Facebook @uscattlemen uscattlemen.org Copyright © 2017, All rights reserved. USCA Washington D.C. Office: 653 Constitution Ave, NE Washington, D.C. 20002 unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences | REPLY REPLY WITH QUOTE |