Working to Change and Clarify Federal Standards on PA Farmers

After a safety audit conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, it was indicated that under the threat of losing federal funding, Pennsylvania needed to revise its intrastate transportation regulations regarding commercial motor carriers.

With the help of the PA Farm Bureau, we were successful in efforts to ensure that the new PennDOT regulations intended to oversee motor carriers do not apply to farm tractors. Without everyone’s intervention, there would have been even more serious consequences for farmers in Pennsylvania with the new regulations approved by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission. However, even with the clarifications, many Pennsylvania legislators believe there is still work to be done by the federal government to ease the burden of these standards on our farmers.

While our successful efforts included obtaining some last-minute “interpretations” from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which stated that the new rules would not apply to farm tractors, there still remains ambiguity regarding the impact on our farmers. Because of the questions still surrounding these regulations, many PA legislators are encouraging Congress to correct these federal standards by a change in the federal statute. We have expressed our support for H.R. 1220, presently before Congress, to Pennsylvania’s entire federal delegation. To view letters sent by us to IRRC and our federal delegation, visit my Web site.

We were also very surprised by the Department of Agriculture for its insistence that the regulations be approved without further improvement or discussions on ways to help farmers. A copy of a letter from the agriculture secretary to IRRC is posted on my Web site. In this letter, the Secretary of Agriculture said: “It is our position that.....they [the new regulations] offer farmers more relief from the regulation of commercial vehicles than they previously enjoyed.”

However, my colleagues and I question whether or not all regulatory alternatives and possible farm-related exemptions that may have been available have been explored; for these reasons, we vehemently opposed approval of the regulations. In the meantime, we are continuing our efforts in working with the Farm Bureau to ensure further mandates are not placed on our farmers.

To view letters sent by us to IRRC and our federal delegation, click below.

Farm Vehicle - House Member Letter to IRRC

Farm Vehicle Letter - To PA Congressional Delegation

Intrastate Motor Carrier Safety Requirements - Regulation Details: 18-414