Spending Bill Extends ELD Waiver For Livestock Haulers to Sept. 30

Many truckers were pleasantly surprised to find out that President Trump's signing of his recent $1.3 billion omnibus bill meant an extension of the electronic logging device (ELD) waiver for livestock drivers. 

The extension of the ELD implementation for all livestock truckers has a surprisingly broad reach, since it affects truckers from a variety of industries. Truckers transporting bison, horse, deer, cattle, elk, swine, poultry, or fish used for food can expect to benefit from the extension.

Section 132 of March 23rd Omnibus Bill 

The omnibus bill that President Trump signed on March 23rd lets livestock and inspect haulers until September 30th to comply with the new federal regulations regarding electronic logs. 

The idea behind the extension is that, by allowing more truckers to get on board with ELD compliance, they will have more compliance overall and better electronic record keeping. The extension received a hefty amount of support and a last-second push from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the United States Cattlemen Association, and other livestock sectors of the economy. 

ELD Extension Good for Hours of Service 

The United States Cattlemen's Association is using this delay to further cement changes to the hours-of-service rules, which are seen as overly onerous for the industry. 

Hours of service record-keeping requirements are seen as too tough for truckers to comply with and too burdensome to enforce. The ELD waiver extension helps address some of these issues. 

Senator Heidi Heitkamp from North Dakota was thrilled that the ELD rules for livestock and inspect drivers were pushed forward, because it will give much more flexibility to new hours of service rules and electronic logging procedures. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says the delay will allow truckers to get more acquainted with the electronic logging devices and negotiate better hours of service rules for the livestock industry.