U.S. Department of Transportation officials are disputing Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s statement at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 8 that federal administrators plan to require a farmer driving a tractor across a public road to obtain a commercial driver’s license, according to the Des Moines Register.
DOT Secretary Ray LaHood released a statement Aug. 10 declaring no new regulations for America's ag community.
"No regulations will be proposed for any new safety requirements or changes to the rules governing the transport of agricultural products, farm machinery, or farm supplies to or from a farm," LaHood said. "We have no intention of instituting onerous regulations on the hardworking farmers who feed our country and fuel our economy."
The agency also released guidance designed to make sure states clearly understand the common sense exemptions that allow farmers, their employees, and their families to accomplish their day-to-day work and transport their products to market.
This guidance – which does not impose any new rules on farmers – follows the Federal Register public notice which Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued on May 31, 2011, asking farmers, farm organizations and the public to give input on the agency’s longstanding safety rules.
"We want to make it absolutely clear that farmers will not be subjected to new and impractical safety regulations," said U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari. "The farm community can be confident that states will continue to follow the regulatory exemptions for farmers that have always worked so well."
"FMCSA is pleased with the input we’ve received from the agricultural community and members of Congress. We received about 1700 comments and the vast majority called for us to preserve the guidance that leaves states to carry out the farm exceptions as they have for many years." said FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro. "We want to make crystal clear that we are not imposing any new regulations."
Earlier this year, farm groups came to FMCSA with concerns that some states might not allow exemptions to Commercial Drivers License (CDL) requirements for certain farm operations using "crop-share" leasing.
Read more about the FMCSA investigation here.