WASHINGTON— U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) sent a letter yesterday to leadership of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation urging them to provide commercial motor vehicle drivers hauling livestock and agricultural products greater flexibility within hours of service (HOS) regulations in upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization legislation.
The Senators wrote: “The unique circumstances involved in the transport of perishable and live goods warrant flexible laws and regulations to ensure a safe environment, not only for all of those who travel our roads, but also for the animals and goods being transported. It is important that Hours of Service regulations provide for a commonsense framework for drivers, rather than a one-size-fits-all model.”
Joining Sen. Cornyn on the letter were U.S. Senators John Hoeven (R-ND), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Doug Jones (D-AL), Steve Daines (R-MT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Jon Tester (D-MT), John Barrasso (R-WY), Michael Rounds (R-SD), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), John Thune (R-SD), David Perdue (R-GA), Martha McSally (R-AZ), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Roy Blunt (R-MO), James Lankford (R-OK), and James Inhofe (R-OK).
Sen. Cornyn launched a series of statewide outreach calls with chambers of commerce, hospitals, healthcare workers, and other Texans on March 6. Sen. Cornyn’s website has additional resources for Texans during the coronavirus outbreak here.
You can read the full letter here, and text is below.
April 27, 2020
Roger WickerChairmanSenate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation512 Dirksen Senate BuildingWashington DC, 20510
Maria CantwellRanking MemberSenate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation512 Dirksen Senate BuildingWashington DC, 20510
Dear Chairman Wicker and Ranking Member Cantwell:
We write to encourage you to begin consideration of legislation that provides greater flexibility within hours of service (HOS) regulations for commercial motor vehicle drivers hauling livestock and agricultural products, while also protecting public safety. Thank you for your consideration of our request.
As you know, in the absence of congressional action, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (Public Law 114-94) is set to expire on September 30, 2020. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee recently passed the America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019, which reauthorizes many of our nation’s surface transportation programs. As the Senate Commerce Committee has jurisdictional oversight over Hours of Service regulations applicable to commercial motor vehicles, we respectfully request that your committee work with us to provide greater flexibility for haulers of agricultural products while protecting public safety.
The unique circumstances involved in the transport of perishable and live goods warrant flexible laws and regulations to ensure a safe environment, not only for all of those who travel our roads, but also for the animals and goods being transported. It is important that Hours of Service regulations provide for a commonsense framework for drivers, rather than a one-size-fits-all model.
We look forward to working with you and the Senate Commerce Committee to provide common-sense regulatory flexibility within the hours of service that uphold safety while ensuring the efficient and humane delivery of products to market. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
/s/