8/13/10

Updated Farm Vehicle Regulations Produced by PA Farm Bureau
Four-page pdf

7/6/10

Senate Passes Farm Truck Driver Bill
(PFB Urges House to Approve Bill that Restores Vehicle Exemptions)

(Camp Hill) – Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) thanked the state Senate for passing legislation that would provide some relief to farmers by restoring several previous exemptions for drivers of agricultural vehicles in Pennsylvania.  Senate Bill 1305 establishes exemptions for farm truck drivers operating vehicles or combination vehicles with an actual weight or weight rating of 26,000 pounds or less. More

6/11/10

Farm Truck Driver Legislation Advances in General Assembly

Legislation being sought by PA Farm Bureau to restore some of the exemptions from regulations and requirements recently placed on drivers of farm trucks by the state has been reported out of the Senate Transportation Committee. S.B. 1305 would provide explicit direction to state officials to exempt drivers and owners of vehicles or combinations with weight ratings less than 26,001 lbs. from the new requirements. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently confirmed PFB's contention that the state has the authority to restore some of the exemptions to farm trucks from what are essentially federal commercial trucking standards.

6/2/10
Federal Agency Clarifies Position On Farm Truck Driver Regulations
Details

4/28/10
Important Step Achieved to Resolve Vehicle Regulation Issue
Details

FARM TRUCK DRIVER REGULATIONS NOW IN EFFECT --
Join Farm Bureau’s Effort To Restore Exemptions

     The new regulations affecting the drivers of farm trucks have been published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin (and became effective) on April 24, 2010. Pennsylvania Farm Bureau has summarized what are believed to be the new legal requirements for drivers of farm trucks and combinations with an actual weight or a weight rating of greater than 17,000 pounds (see page 2 below).
     Unfortunately, since official correspondence from government agencies has lacked both clarity and consistency, confusion remains about how these new regulations will apply in certain situations.  As a result, PFB has asked several questions to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation (PennDOT), Agriculture (PDA) and State Police (PSP) in an attempt to gain additional clarity on this issue.
      Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s advocacy continues in Harrisburg and Washington to restore the earlier exemptions for agriculture vehicles. For details about how you can help achieve a successful outcome for Pennsylvania agriculture, please refer to pages 1, 3 & 4 below.