Livestock Haulers Secure a Win in House Infrastructure Bill

Livestock haulers secured a win in the Biden administration’s infrastructure bill, which the House approved last week. Provisions of Sen. Deb Fischer's (R-Neb.) Haulers of Agriculture and Livestock Safety Act of 2021 (HAULS Act) are included within the bipartisan infrastructure framework.

A provision in the legislation expands the miles agricultural truckers can drive without the restrictions of the federal Hours of Service (HOS) rule, which limits commercial truckers to 11 hours of driving time and 14 consecutive hours of on-duty time in any 24-hour period. Livestock haulers are now granted 150 air-miles radius from the origin and destination of their trip. This effectively allows livestock haulers to travel an additional 300 miles while exempt from the restrictive HOS regulations. 

"The $1.2 trillion, five-year infrastructure bill also has funds for repairing and building roads, bridges, railways, ports and waterways – all of which are vital to getting agricultural products to markets – and for other major infrastructure projects, including rural broadband," the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) noted in Capitol Update. "The Senate in August passed its infrastructure bill."

The language included within this bipartisan infrastructure framework helps prevent the situation of having a livestock hauler run out of hours mere miles from their destination, United States Cattlemen's Association (USCA) Transportation Committee Chairman Steve Hilker explained in a statement.

"USCA thanks Senator Fischer for her tireless efforts to achieve regulatory flexibility for transporters of live animals. This accomplishment is a massive improvement in how we are able to operate," Hilker said. "Livestock haulers cannot stop and unload their animals like drivers of furniture or steel - or wait on the side of the highway for their clocks to reset. We need this regulatory flexibility to be able to get these animals to their destination as safely and efficiently as possible."

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