The Federal Register has displayed a notice of statutory exemptions from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration – the Federal agency responsible for large truck and bus safety – alerting the public of the Agency’s actions to simplify regulations for farmers and their employees, as required by the new surface transportation reauthorization bill called MAP-21.  This action builds on our support for the Nation’s farmers as they continue to face the effects of this year’s drought. 

Section 32101 of MAP-21 provides a statutory exemption from the hours-of-service regulations for certain carriers transporting agricultural commodities and farm supplies and section 32934 provides a statutory exemption from most of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for the operation of covered farm vehicles by farm and ranch operators, their employees, and certain other specified individuals under certain specific circumstances.  The statutory provisions are self-executing and take effect on October 1, 2012. 

This notice is intended to ensure that the public is aware of the statutory provisions.  The Agency will, at a later date, amend the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to reflect the statutory language included in MAP-21. 

 A copy of the Release is here (PDF)

 A copy of the notice and Frequently Asked Questions document is here (PDF).