AmericanHort calls for action in support of its agricultural trucking bill

On March 13, AmericanHort Director of Advocacy and Policy Communications Tristan Daedalus sent an industry-wide email urging the public to support members of the Senate “to end the ambiguity in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) definition of ‘agricultural commodity.'”

His statement below reads:

“A couple weeks ago we asked you to take action and urge your Representative to join our calls to end the ambiguity in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) definition of ‘agricultural commodity’.

A couple weeks ago we asked you to take action and urge your Representative to join our calls to end the ambiguity in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) definition of ‘agricultural commodity’.

“Thanks for your hard work! Because of you, the bipartisan letter was sent with a total of 33 signatures (26R,7D).

Now this important issue is being addressed in the Senate as well!

Senators David Perdue (R-GA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) are circulating a letter to the Senate’s Transportation Appropriations subcommittee and urging them to include the same language from the Agricultural Trucking Relief Act in legislation to fund the government in FY2021.

It’s an urgent problem that needs to be fixed before this year’s peak shipping season. Click here to take action now.

This legislation would specifically include horticulture and floriculture in the “agricultural commodity” definition for transportation policy, eliminating the current confusion around whether our industry is able to utilize the agricultural exemption associated with the electronic logging device mandate.

Crops that have long been recognized as agricultural commodities —such as nursery & greenhouse production — remain in limbo despite facing the same challenges as other agricultural commodities: seasonality, perishability, and narrow market windows.

We’re hoping for an equally strong showing in the Senate to showcase how big of an issue this is for producers and shippers alike. We can’t wait through another harvest season full of uncertainty.

Click here and urge your senator to sign onto the letter that will be sent in the coming weeks.”

For more information, visit www.americanhort.org