National Cattlemen May 2026 | Page 9

Continued from page 1

these are provisional fixes that do not provide producers or haulers certainty about future restrictions on animal transportation. Without permanent, workable solutions, animal welfare will continue to be a concern and fluidity of the supply chain could be compromised. Federal transportation rules may be reasonable for consumer freight, but they place unnecessary risk on livestock haulers and their live-animal cargo.

The truck weight limit on interstate highways is 80,000 lbs, a number that hasn’ t changed since 1982, even though significant improvements have been made to safety and road paving technology. Therefore, some livestock haulers often stick to local roads and freeways where weight limits are higher, even though interstate highways are typically safer. If federal truck weight limits were increased, drivers could fit the same number of cattle on four truck loads instead of five. Fewer loads on well-maintained roads means safer transport, reduced stress on cattle and lower costs.

“ Current regulations will not allow drivers to haul cattle on equipment that is built and designed for it,” Berry said.“ These modern trucks are rated for 94,000 to 96,000 lbs with extra axles and extra brakes but are still only allowed to haul 80,000 lbs. We are wasting the ability to haul more cattle simply because we crossed a magical marker and are on this side of the state line versus that side.”

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also established a rule requiring the use of ELDs to ensure commercial vehicle drivers receive adequate rest to remain safe on the road. An ELD synchronizes with a vehicle’ s engine to record when a driver is on- or off-duty, information that is then transferred to and reviewed by an HOS safety official. Current HOS rules limit drivers to 14 hours of on-duty time, a maximum drive time of 11 hours, followed by 10 consecutive hours of rest. Berry explained that ELD requirements can unintentionally incentivize drivers to continue driving even when fatigued because stopping to rest does not pause the 14-hour on-duty clock, even if the driver is off-duty.

“ If safety is the issue, and that person has been driving for three hours but they’ re tired and want to pull over for an hourlong nap, they ought to be able to hit pause on their clock, then restart it. You cannot do that now; you’ d lose that time. Drivers should not be encouraged to drive when they are tired,” Berry said.

NCBA recognizes that safety for both haulers and other drivers on the road is of utmost importance, yet, these time requirements are insufficient because live-animal transport requires skill and flexibility, not a one-size-fits-all approach. Requiring drivers to rest for 10 hours would mean livestock would have to be unloaded and reloaded to avoid sitting on a trailer for long periods of time. This adds stress to the animals and the lack of adequate loading / unloading facilities on key routes creates unnecessary animal health risks.

Recognizing these challenges, NCBA has worked for years to relieve livestock haulers from rigid government mandates and continues to fight for practical policies that reflect the unique demands of livestock transportation. Livestock haulers have been exempt from using ELDs for nine years and have operated safely. There is also an exemption in place for HOS until haulers reach outside a 150 air-mile radius( 172 road miles) of their pick-up point, and NCBA secured an additional 150-air mile exemption on the back end of livestock hauls for further flexibility.

These types of exemptions are crucial and, if made permanent, would provide the industry with the certainty needed to operate safely and efficiently. NCBA supports Congress enacting the Truck Weights Pilot Program, allowing the use of 6-axle trucks that support 91,000 lbs, increasing the truck weight limit to a modern standard that aligns with road enhancements.

Through these actions— support of the Truck Weights Pilot Program and permanent exemptions for ELDs and HOS— Congress can protect animal welfare, strengthen operational efficiency, and provide producers the certainty they need to succeed.

As Berry clearly put it,“ None of us want to work as hard as we do all year long to raise these animals and then watch them not perform at the next level, for the buyer, because they were harmed or stressed in the transportation phase.”

One trusted place for your ranch records, so you can make con�ident decisions.

P. J. Porter Fourth Generation Rancher

Customer since 2007 Team Member since 2015

Ranchers Helping Ranchers since 1999 Built by ranchers, with U. S.-based support from people who use it every day. CattleMax. com 1-800-641-2343 www. NCBA. org NATIONAL CATTLEMEN 9