Rounds Supports Legislation to Provide Live Load Haulers with Additional Flexibility on ELD Rules
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today cosponsored legislation to give live load haulers additional flexibility and relief from the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) rules. The Transporting Livestock Across America Safely Act, introduced earlier this week by Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), would exempt live load haulers from federal hours of service requirements until crossing the threshold of 300 air miles away from their point of origin. Haulers would also be able to take a break at any point in their drive without it counting against their trucking time, which would be stretched from 11 to 15-18 hours.
“While I continue to work with Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and her staff to address the concerns of live-load haulers, the Transporting Livestock Across America Safely Act would codify into law commonsense provisions to help haulers do their job safely and humanely. Providing live load haulers with additional flexibility regarding the ELD and hours of service rules is good for ranchers, good for haulers and good for the livestock and insects they transport.”
Specifically, this legislation:
- Provides that hours of service and ELD requirements are inapplicable until after a driver travels more than 300-air miles from their source. Drive time for hours of service purposes does not start until after 300-air mile threshold.
- Exempts loading and unloading times from the hours of service calculation of driving time.
- Extends the hours of service on-duty time maximum hour requirement from 11 hours to a minimum of 15 hours and a maximum of 18 hours of on-duty time.
- Grants flexibility for drivers to rest at any point during their trip without counting against hours of service time.
- Allows drivers to complete their trip – regardless of hours of service requirements – if they come within 150-air miles of their delivery point.
- After the driver completes his or her delivery and the truck is unloaded, the driver will take a break for a period that is 5 hours less than the maximum on-duty time (10 hours if a 15-hour drive time).
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