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Farmers thrash idea of commercial licenses
Driving proposal treats tractors like big rigs
By Rick Barrett of the Journal Sentinel
Aug. 6, 2011 |(76) Comments
Tim Strobel has been driving a tractor for 20 years, so he's a bit puzzled that federal officials are kicking around an idea that could ultimately force him - and anyone else operating farm machinery - to get a commercial driver's license.
Yes, the same kind of license that interstate truckers must have to operate their rigs.
"I am not against some training, but this is going a little bit overboard," said Strobel, a dairy farmer from Watertown.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has been collecting public comments on the notion, which the agency insists doesn't yet merit being called a "proposal."
But it's far enough along that the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, state Agriculture Secretary Ben Brancel, and a bipartisan group of 21 U.S. senators, among others, are speaking out against it.
Farm Bureau officials say Transportation Department proposals aimed at reclassifying agricultural machinery as commercial motor vehicles could lead to a requirement that farmers get a commercial license to move equipment on roads between fields and to their local grain mills.
It's "overreaching and unnecessary," said Karen Gefvert, Wisconsin Farm Bureau director of governmental relations.
The additional public safety gained from increased federal regulation is unclear at best, but the additional costs for farmers would come at a time when they could least afford them, Brancel said in a letter to federal officials.
In one scenario, farmers hauling grain to local elevators would be treated as if they were engaged in interstate commerce because grain, in many cases, eventually leaves the state.
Logging mileage
Lumping farm machinery into the category of commercial vehicles also could result in farmers' having to log their mileage, even for short trips, and it could require them to get a federal medical card showing they are fit to drive.
"It would be more paperwork, more expense for us," Strobel said.
Twenty-one senators have asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to reconsider the proposals.
"This is yet another federal government solution in search of a problem," Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said in a news release.
"You know, this proposal is just plain nuts," Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said in a video message last week after meeting with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Federal rules currently allow states to make exceptions to commercial driver's license regulations for certain farm vehicle drivers.
"In a perfect world, farm vehicles would only operate on farms, while commercial trucks would operate on public roads," Anne Ferro, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said in a written statement emailed to the Journal Sentinel.
"The reality is that farm equipment not designed or intended for everyday use on public roads is often used for short trips at limited speeds. This creates a gray area for classification," Ferro said. "At the same time, we realize that well-meaning regulations can be burdensome if the government isn't thoughtful about how they're put in place. Finding the right balance between the two can be challenging."
Farm groups say they're wary of the regulators' intentions, even if the government is only seeking public input at this point.
The Transportation Department will review several hundred comments before deciding how to proceed, according to Baucus.
"Any time the federal government or an agency decides to post comments like this, we have to take it pretty seriously. We have to treat it as a legitimate issue that has every possibility of passing," Gefvert said.
Farmers and farm organizations recognize the hazards of operating slow-moving vehicles on public roads. In 2010, there were 190 crashes involving farm machinery in Wisconsin, with one fatality and 102 people injured, according to state Highway Patrol figures.
Slow-moving vehicles
Driving a farm machine that's 12 feet wide, on a road that curves and has a double yellow line, can result in some very anxious moments. A tractor pulling a grain wagon can go only about 25 mph, while cars on the same road are probably going more than twice that speed.
"When people see a tractor on the road, their first thought is, 'How do I get around it,' " Strobel said.
Near Lake Geneva, farmer Melvyn Madaus says he has experienced some close calls driving farm machinery on Highway 50.
"Sometimes I am terrified to look in the rearview mirror. I can see cars and semi-trucks rolling up at 60 miles per hour plus, while I am going 20 miles per hour," Madaus said.
So farmers typically aren't opposed to regulations such as a requirement that tractor operators under 16 years old must have taken safety training, and that someone hauling commodities more than 150 miles in a truck must have a commercial driver's license.
But the rules being considered by the Transportation Department could make it harder for farms to find qualified employees, and also would be very costly.
"It's just so drastic," Strobel said. "You could have a good employee who, for whatever reason, can't get a commercial driver's license and now can't do his job."
According to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau's Gefvert, the rules that are under consideration would result in an initial cost of $124 to each Wisconsin farmer and employee, for the commercial driver's license, permit and test; not to mention the time and cost for behind-the-wheel training that is several thousand dollars.
The Farm Bureau and other farm groups have asked that individual states continue to be given leeway in determining whether farmers should be required to have a commercial driver's license. States are more knowledgeable about their individual farm transportation issues, Gefvert said.
Comments sought
The Department of Transportation, though, says it just wants public comment on the issue and didn't intend to stir up controversy.
"Although the U.S. DOT doesn't have a long history of working with the agricultural community, it's time we rolled up our sleeves together and got started," Ferro said.
Farmers hope the issue settles down before fall harvest, when they spend the most time moving machinery between fields and hauling grain to local elevators.
"We have just as much right to be on the roads as anyone else," Madaus said.
Farmers thrash idea of commercial licenses
Driving proposal treats tractors like big rigs
By Rick Barrett of the Journal Sentinel
Aug. 6, 2011 |(76) Comments
Tim Strobel has been driving a tractor for 20 years, so he's a bit puzzled that federal officials are kicking around an idea that could ultimately force him - and anyone else operating farm machinery - to get a commercial driver's license.
Yes, the same kind of license that interstate truckers must have to operate their rigs.
"I am not against some training, but this is going a little bit overboard," said Strobel, a dairy farmer from Watertown.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has been collecting public comments on the notion, which the agency insists doesn't yet merit being called a "proposal."
But it's far enough along that the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, state Agriculture Secretary Ben Brancel, and a bipartisan group of 21 U.S. senators, among others, are speaking out against it.
Farm Bureau officials say Transportation Department proposals aimed at reclassifying agricultural machinery as commercial motor vehicles could lead to a requirement that farmers get a commercial license to move equipment on roads between fields and to their local grain mills.
It's "overreaching and unnecessary," said Karen Gefvert, Wisconsin Farm Bureau director of governmental relations.
The additional public safety gained from increased federal regulation is unclear at best, but the additional costs for farmers would come at a time when they could least afford them, Brancel said in a letter to federal officials.
In one scenario, farmers hauling grain to local elevators would be treated as if they were engaged in interstate commerce because grain, in many cases, eventually leaves the state.
Logging mileage
Lumping farm machinery into the category of commercial vehicles also could result in farmers' having to log their mileage, even for short trips, and it could require them to get a federal medical card showing they are fit to drive.
"It would be more paperwork, more expense for us," Strobel said.
Twenty-one senators have asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to reconsider the proposals.
"This is yet another federal government solution in search of a problem," Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said in a news release.
"You know, this proposal is just plain nuts," Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said in a video message last week after meeting with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Federal rules currently allow states to make exceptions to commercial driver's license regulations for certain farm vehicle drivers.
"In a perfect world, farm vehicles would only operate on farms, while commercial trucks would operate on public roads," Anne Ferro, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said in a written statement emailed to the Journal Sentinel.
"The reality is that farm equipment not designed or intended for everyday use on public roads is often used for short trips at limited speeds. This creates a gray area for classification," Ferro said. "At the same time, we realize that well-meaning regulations can be burdensome if the government isn't thoughtful about how they're put in place. Finding the right balance between the two can be challenging."
Farm groups say they're wary of the regulators' intentions, even if the government is only seeking public input at this point.
The Transportation Department will review several hundred comments before deciding how to proceed, according to Baucus.
"Any time the federal government or an agency decides to post comments like this, we have to take it pretty seriously. We have to treat it as a legitimate issue that has every possibility of passing," Gefvert said.
Farmers and farm organizations recognize the hazards of operating slow-moving vehicles on public roads. In 2010, there were 190 crashes involving farm machinery in Wisconsin, with one fatality and 102 people injured, according to state Highway Patrol figures.
Slow-moving vehicles
Driving a farm machine that's 12 feet wide, on a road that curves and has a double yellow line, can result in some very anxious moments. A tractor pulling a grain wagon can go only about 25 mph, while cars on the same road are probably going more than twice that speed.
"When people see a tractor on the road, their first thought is, 'How do I get around it,' " Strobel said.
Near Lake Geneva, farmer Melvyn Madaus says he has experienced some close calls driving farm machinery on Highway 50.
"Sometimes I am terrified to look in the rearview mirror. I can see cars and semi-trucks rolling up at 60 miles per hour plus, while I am going 20 miles per hour," Madaus said.
So farmers typically aren't opposed to regulations such as a requirement that tractor operators under 16 years old must have taken safety training, and that someone hauling commodities more than 150 miles in a truck must have a commercial driver's license.
But the rules being considered by the Transportation Department could make it harder for farms to find qualified employees, and also would be very costly.
"It's just so drastic," Strobel said. "You could have a good employee who, for whatever reason, can't get a commercial driver's license and now can't do his job."
According to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau's Gefvert, the rules that are under consideration would result in an initial cost of $124 to each Wisconsin farmer and employee, for the commercial driver's license, permit and test; not to mention the time and cost for behind-the-wheel training that is several thousand dollars.
The Farm Bureau and other farm groups have asked that individual states continue to be given leeway in determining whether farmers should be required to have a commercial driver's license. States are more knowledgeable about their individual farm transportation issues, Gefvert said.
Comments sought
The Department of Transportation, though, says it just wants public comment on the issue and didn't intend to stir up controversy.
"Although the U.S. DOT doesn't have a long history of working with the agricultural community, it's time we rolled up our sleeves together and got started," Ferro said.
Farmers hope the issue settles down before fall harvest, when they spend the most time moving machinery between fields and hauling grain to local elevators.
"We have just as much right to be on the roads as anyone else," Madaus said.
