Sponsor
Debra Fischer
Senator · R-NE
Senator · R-NE
The bill increases flexibility and clarity for moving a wider range of agricultural products—boosting farm‑to‑market speed and reducing some compliance costs—while raising public road‑safety risks, reducing state regulatory flexibility, and creating potential competitive and enforcement costs.
Farmers, producers, and shippers transporting agricultural goods within the specified radius/timeframes can move products more quickly year‑round, reducing spoilage, delivery delays, and improving market access.
Carriers and drivers hauling perishable and minimally processed foods and animal products gain clearer exemption coverage and an explicit list of covered commodities, lowering regulatory uncertainty and administrative compliance costs.
Supply-chain efficiency for perishable agricultural goods (fresh produce, livestock, feed, minimally processed foods) can improve, helping maintain food availability and reduce waste in local and regional markets.
Road users and the public face increased safety risks because broader exemptions and longer allowable driving hours can raise driver fatigue and crash risk.
State governments and local regulators lose flexibility and may face uneven application because the bill limits state tailoring of timing-based exceptions and gives the Secretary discretion over ambiguous terms like 'minimally processed.'
Small local carriers and some farmers may be competitively disadvantaged as broader regional exceptions benefit larger or regional shippers who can exploit extended routes and schedules.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Expands the agricultural hauler hours-of-service exception by replacing State seasonal limits with a 150 air-mile radius rule and broadening the federal definition of agricultural commodity.
Official title: Amend the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 to modify certain agricultural exemptions for hours of service requirements, and for other purposes.
Introduced December 17, 2025 by Debra Fischer · Last progress December 17, 2025
Modifies federal trucking safety law to broaden an existing hours-of-service exception for drivers hauling agricultural commodities and livestock feed. The bill removes State-by-State seasonal timing limits, defines a 150 air-mile radius test (from either the source or destination) for covered trips, and directs the Transportation Secretary to revise the federal regulatory definition of "agricultural commodity" to explicitly list many farm products, live animals, and animal feed within 180 days.