Ag Haulers To Debate Hours At Meeting
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Members of the Agricultural Transporters Conference will meet at their headquarters in Alexandria, Va., and Washington, D.C., to discuss that and other matters from June 14 to 15. They are especially concerned with how federal regulators will revise the 65-year-old hours policy in light of the time-sensitive nature of their cargo and the exemptions traditionally granted to them by states during harvest time.
"The ag haulers have certain particular challenges they have to meet," said Fletcher Hall, executive director of the conference managed by American Trucking Associations. "Other carriers have on-time delivery challenges to meet too, but ag haulers deal with products that could totally go to waste if they aren't handled in a timely manner."
Fletcher said agricultural truckers want to see the same reasonable science-based revisions the rest of the industry is calling for, but they also want to make sure that states retain the flexibility to grant truckers exemptions from the rules during certain times of the year.
"Considering the state of the economy, one area that's not in terribly great shape are parts of the agricultural business," said Fletcher. "That's effecting our members."
J.B. Penn, senior vice president for The Sparks Cos.; James Schaub and Keith A. Klindworth, both with the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and Tom Lourenco, from Noblestar Systems, will help carriers determine which way the industry is headed during discussions at the meeting. Several members of Congress will also give their views of the agriculture and transportation industries.
Other issues on the agenda will be the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act and the developments at the Office of Motor Carrier and Highway Safety.
This is the Agricultural Transportation Conference's first legislative and leadership meeting. The group was formed in 1995 to represent transporters of agricultural commodities, forest and mineral products.
