Source:  PRESS RELEASE, 7/15/11

 

Congressman Larry Kissell (NC-08) announced his opposition to a pending U.S. Department of Transportation rule that would require farmers and ranchers transporting farm equipment to hold Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDL). The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has extended until Aug. 1st the public comment period to respond to the pending rule.

“The farmers and ranchers of our district begin and end each day with simple goals: to safely conduct business, earn a living, and help feed our nation,” said Kissell. “Government overreaches like these put a direct burden on our family farms and hinder their ability to do business. No one cares more for the safety and wellbeing of our population than the people we task with the hard work of helping to keep food on our tables.”

Under the new proposed rule, farm machinery would be classified as Commercial Motor Vehicles, requiring owners and operators to acquire CDL’s, display Department of Transportation numbers, limit mileage and report service records.

“There are already laws on the books in every state that allow farmers and ranchers to safely transport equipment and products on rural roads in the communities they and their families helped to build,” said Kissell. “This should not be a federal matter. I urge members of the agriculture community in our district to offer their comments to the Department of Transportation to see that they do not move forward with these new burdensome requirements. I will continue to fight this unfair government overreach in my work in Congress.”

Public comments can be submitted online at www.regulations.gov, via fax at 202-493-2251, or sent via US Mail to: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of Transportation, Room W-12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, 20590-0001.

All comments must be identified by Docket Number FMCSA-2011-0146, and must be submitted on or before August 1, 2011.