Livestock companies look for trucking rule exemption

{mosads}Those breaks can be dangerous for livestock that have to sit in trucks during the summer heat and winter chill, the group said in its petition.

Pigs, for instance, do not sweat, and are especially prone to suffering from heat stress.

As such, the trade organization asserted that the 30-minute break requirement “will cause livestock producers and their drivers irreparable harm, place the health and welfare of the livestock at risk, and provide no apparent benefit to public safety, while forcing the livestock industry and their drivers to choose between the humane handling of animals or compliance with the rule,” the FMCSA summarized in a notice.

The pork council is making the request on behalf of a number of livestock trade groups, including the National Chicken Council and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

The FMCSA will review the petition and is asking for the public to weigh in the next 30 days.

In July, the FMCSA granted a 90-day waiver of the exemption for drivers carrying livestock, but the groups want a longer exemption, which can last up to two years.