The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced a two-year limited exemption from the federal hours-of-service regulations for the transportation of anhydrous ammonia from any distribution point to a local farm retailer or to the ultimate consumer, and from a local farm retailer to the ultimate consumer, as long as the transportation takes place within a 100-airmile radius of the retail or wholesale distribution point.
The exemption extends the agricultural operations exemption established by section 345 of the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, as amended by sections 4115 and 4130 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEALU), to certain drivers and motor carriers engaged in the distribution of anhydrous ammonia during the planting and harvesting seasons, as defined by the states in which the carriers and drivers operate.
The exemption, which preempts inconsistent state and local requirements applicable to interstate commerce, will remain in effect until Oct. 9, 2012, unless revoked earlier by FMCSA.
