H.R. 4500: Hauling Exemptions for Livestock Protection Act

This bill, known as the Hauling Exemptions for Livestock Protection Act, aims to change certain federal transportation regulations concerning the hauling of livestock. Specifically, the bill proposes the following key points:

Exemption from Regulations

The bill would exempt certain livestock hauling vehicles from:

• Requirements related to hours of service for drivers, which dictate how long a driver can operate a vehicle and rest.
• Requirements regarding electronic logging devices that track a driver’s time on the road and rest periods.

Coverage of Exemptions

The exemption would apply to:

• Covered livestock hauling vehicles: These are defined as commercial motor vehicles transporting livestock, insects, or aquatic animals.
• Unladen vehicles: This means that even if a vehicle is empty (not currently carrying livestock), it is still eligible for the exemption when picking up or returning from delivering livestock.

Definitions

The bill includes specific definitions relevant to its provisions:

• Commercial motor vehicle: Defined according to existing federal transportation regulations.
• Covered livestock hauling vehicle: Specifically targets vehicles that are transporting animals for commercial purposes.
• Livestock: This term encompasses a range of animals including those defined in the Emergency Livestock Feed Assistance Act and includes insects and aquatic animals raised for commercial purposes.

Overall, the bill seeks to ease regulatory burdens on livestock haulers by allowing them more flexibility in their operations in relation to driving hours and tracking time, potentially impacting how livestock is transported across state lines.

Relevant Companies

None found