U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced bipartisan legislation that includes provisions to indefinitely delay a federal electronic logging device (ELD) mandate that has burdened his home-state ranching constituents.
“Montana’s ranchers and livestock haulers drive Montana’s economy,” Sen. Daines said on March 5. “We must find a solution that keeps our roads safe and allows Montana’s agricultural commodities to get to market humanely and on time.”
The Modernizing Agricultural Transportation Act, S. 600, would require the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary to create a working group that would study regulatory and legislative improvements for the livestock, insect and agricultural commodities transport industries, according to the text of the bill.
The new working group’s duties would include identifying “incompatibilities and other challenges and concerns caused by” the ELD mandate and hours-of-service (HOS) regulations contained in the Code of Federal Regulations regarding the transport of livestock, insects and agricultural commodities, according to the bill.
The ELD mandate – published in the Federal Register in December 2015 by DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration – sets minimum performance and design standards for ELDs and HOS.
“This rule improves commercial motor vehicle safety and reduces the overall paperwork burden for both motor carriers and drivers by increasing the use of ELDs within the motor carrier industry, which will, in turn, improve compliance with the applicable HOS rules,” according to the Federal Register notice.
However, Sen. Daines said that Montana agriculture and livestock haulers have had ongoing concerns with the ELD mandate because it creates undue burdens on the industry, and for several years he’s called for increased flexibility in the regulation.
During the last congressional session, in fact, Sen. Daines cosponsored the same-named S. 3051, which was considered by the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
“I’ll continue pushing to provide our ranchers and livestock haulers with certainty and remove undue burdens from their businesses,” said Sen. Daines.
The newly reintroduced S. 600 also would task the working group with releasing a related report that would inform DOT, which would be required to propose regulatory changes to the ELD mandate and HOS regulations within 120 days of the bill’s enactment.
Among the 11 senators joining Sen. Daines in cosponsoring S. 600, which was sponsored on Feb. 28 by U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND), are U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Mike Bennet (D-CO).
S. 600 is now being reviewed by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.