Livestock Groups Petition for DOT Hours of Service Flexibility

Livestock organizations this week sent a petition to the Department of Transportation requesting additional flexibility on Hours of Service requirements. The petition asks for a five-year exemption from certain Hours of Service requirements for livestock haulers and encourages the Department of Transportation to work with the livestock industry to implement additional fatigue-management practices. Current rules limit drive time to 11 hours and limit on-duty hours to 14. Instead, the organizations request that livestock haulers be granted approval to drive up to 15 hours with a 16-hour on-duty period, following a 10-hour consecutive rest period. The petition states the current requirements “place the well-being of livestock at risk during transport and impose significant burdens on livestock haulers.” The petition was signed 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.