Hours of Service Has Some Limitations

This summer IFCA will be working hard along with many other ag groups to continue to secure the hours of service exemption for farm supplies being transported from terminals/warehouses to the ag retail sites.  This year FMCSA granted a special 90 day waiver only for the movement of anhydrous ammonia from the terminals to the retail sites.  FMCAS did not exempt movements of other products, such as 28%, from the terminal to the retail site, or the movement of agrichemicals from a warehouse to a retail site.  We have always contended that "distribution point" should cover all legs of transport within a 100 mile radius, while FMCSA interprets "distribution point" to mean only from retail to farm and farm to farm.  Resolving this issue is a high priority for IFCA and we will fight hard to restore the complete Hours of Service exemption for farm supplies transported within 100 miles of any distribution point, which we enjoyed in Illinois beginning in 2006 but which FMCSA took away via interpretation in late 2009.