The HAULS Act of 2025 establishes a year-round, distance-based federal exemption for the transportation of agricultural commodities and livestock feed, while standardizing the definition of these goods across federal regulations.
Deb Fischer
Senator
NE
The HAULS Act of 2025 streamlines federal motor carrier safety exemptions by establishing a year-round, 150-air-mile radius standard for transporting agricultural commodities and livestock feed, eliminating inconsistent state-level seasonal restrictions. Additionally, the bill updates and clarifies the definition of "agricultural commodity" to ensure consistent regulatory coverage for a wide range of farm products, including livestock, forestry, and minimally processed produce.
HAULS Act of 2025 Ends Seasonal Limits on Farm Transport: 150-Mile Exemption Goes Year-Round
The HAULS Act of 2025 simplifies the rules for the people who keep our grocery stores and silos full. Currently, federal law gives truck drivers a break on certain safety regulations—like hours-of-service limits—when they are hauling agricultural goods within a 150 air-mile radius, but only during 'planting and harvesting' seasons defined by each individual state. This bill scraps those confusing, state-by-state calendars entirely. Instead, it establishes a permanent, year-round exemption for anyone transporting agricultural commodities or livestock feed within that 150-mile bubble. By removing the seasonal red tape, the bill ensures that a driver moving feed for cattle in the dead of winter or hauling grain to a terminal in the off-season operates under the same consistent rules as they would in the middle of July.
Clearing the Logjam
Under Section 2, the bill moves away from the patchwork of state-declared seasons that often left drivers guessing whether they were legally exempt on one side of a state line but not the other. For a local hauler or a farmer moving their own goods, this means the 150 air-mile exemption from the source or destination is always 'on.' This change acknowledges that modern farming doesn't just happen between a specific start and end date on a calendar; livestock need to eat every day, and supply chains move 365 days a year. By standardizing this, the bill aims to reduce the logistical headaches for small-scale haulers who are often juggling tight margins and even tighter schedules.
Expanding the Grocery List
Section 3 of the bill gives the definition of 'agricultural commodity' a much-needed makeover to match the realities of modern trade. It directs the Secretary of Transportation to officially include a wider range of products under this exemption, such as non-processed forestry products, honey, and even insects (think commercial bees for pollination). It also specifically covers 'minimally processed' items—things like fruits and vegetables that have been rinsed, cut, or ripened. For a small business owner running a local produce distribution center or a timber hauler in the Pacific Northwest, this clarity ensures their specific cargo is recognized under the law, preventing lopsided enforcement and making it easier to get fresh food and raw materials to market without unnecessary delays.