House Transportation Committee leaders unveiled draft text of a five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill to invest in roads, bridges, rail and other vital transit connectors.
The bipartisan plan would authorize $580 billion in funds and is set to be considered by the panel as soon as this week, a person familiar with the matter told Agri-Pulse. Details were reported earlier by Bloomberg Government.
The bill would provide more than $50 billion for America’s bridges, the largest ever such investment, according to a statement from committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., and top Democrat Rick Larsen. The proposal also includes the first-ever autonomous commercial motor vehicle framework. The goal is to send legislation to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature before the current surface transportation authorization expires on Sept. 30, the lawmakers said.
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The measure would codify exemptions for livestock haulers from electronic logging mandates and federal hours of service requirements, if within a 150-air-mile radius from their destination. Hours of service rules don’t allow truckers to begin a driving shift until they have spent 10 consecutive hours off-duty, and they must rest again after 14 consecutive hours of driving.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued similar exemptions for livestock haulers during the pandemic, but those are no longer in place, according to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
The bill wouldn't change vehicle weight limits on federal roads substantially. However, it would adjust rules for weight variance, or how much weight is sitting on a particular axle. It would allow dry bulk transporters to put up to 110% of the maximum weight on any axle.It would also allow some agricultural shippers in Louisiana to haul up to 88,000 pounds on the interstate, so long as they comply with the weight variance rules. Logging vehicles in Arkansas could also haul 85,000 pounds on the Interstate system, but only up to 20 miles from the storage facility.
The bill also would allow states to create online registration and renewal systems allowing employees of farm-related service industries to participate in the seasonal restricted commercial driver’s license program.
The bill is dubbed the BUILD America 250 Act – Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th Act. See a summary here.
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