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Dear Congressman:

All commercial transporters of agricultural commodities and farm supplies realize the importance of the current agricultural exemption to the federal hours of svice rules for truck drivers, every business day. This is especially true during the planting and harvesting season, as determined by the states.

Currently, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (an affiliate of (CRASH) have written you and asked you to REMOVE the existing agricultural exemption from federal law, as the Congress takes up the 2009 Highway Reauthorization Bill. The Agricultural Education Group vehemently and strongly opposes this request of the T&I Committee leadership.

It is vital to the entire commercial agricultural transportation industry that the CURRENT AGRICULTURAL EXEMPTION BE PROTECTED AND PRESERVED in the 2009 Highway Reauthorization Bill.

The continued efficient, cost effective and essential preservation of this exemption, which was overwhelmingly approved in Congress in 2005, is necessary to allow for the just-in-time transport of most all agricultural commodities and farm supplies required in 21st century agriculture and transportation. Trucks now move over 95 percent of all agricultural commodities, and over 54 percent of all domestic grain movements. And, this trend grows daily.

The repeal of the agricultural exemption would be devastating to farmers, commercial agricultural transporters, food processors, and ultimately, American consumers. Given our current economic situation, now is not the time to enact problematic legislation that would result in increased food costs for struggling American families.

The regulatory scheme suggested by CVSA and the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is vague in the operational components, would cause delay the necessary movement of agricultural commodities and farm supplies, during planting and harvesting seasons, which are subject to the vagaries of the weather and shortage of qualified truck drivers, and would take trucks out of service at the most critical time of the year for America’s agricultural sector. Being forced to re-apply for a safety exemption on numerous occasions is impracticable and would wreak havoc throughout the commercial agricultural transportation industry, upon which farmers significantly rely today.

Regarding safety issues it is important to note that in April, 2009 the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that in 2008 highway deaths fell to their lowest level since 1961. According to preliminary figures from U.S. DOT, 9.1 percent of people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2009, than in 2008. In the trucking industry, safety is the paramount concern which is reflected in statistics and the use and adoption of best safety practices throughout the industry.

Over the past decade alone, the large truck fatal crash rate has decreased by 23 percent. In 2007, the large truck involved crash rate fell to its lowest rate since U.S. DOT began keeping statistics. Concerning primary reasons for motor vehicle crashes, the trucking industry has a zero tolerance standard in place for drug and alcohol use. The latest available violation rate for alcohol use on the job, based on random alcohol testing of truck drivers, is just one-tenth of one

 percent. For all fatal large truck crashes, the Federal Motor Carrier Administration estimates fatigue to be a primary factor in only 7.0 percent, and a 2006 Virginia Tech Analysis of two studies conducted by the Department of Transportation found that 78 percent of all crashes were caused by passenger car drivers.

Regarding the agricultural exemption, revised by Congress in 2005, it is necessary to note that commercial agricultural vehicles cannot, by federal law, travel more than a 100 air mile radius, carry valuable perishable loads and only operate in peak planting and harvesting seasons. The assertion that commercial agricultural transporters operate on "lower-class rural roads, is both demeaning to rural America and the farmers, food processors, and commercial trucking companies who, on a daily basis. move commodities , on these roads, from farm to fork, and keep America the best fed nation on the face of the earth.

The Agricultural Education Group urges Congress to retain, protect and preserve the agricultural exemption. The loss of this exemption would be devastating to the commercial agricultural transportation industry, American agriculture and American consumers.

Thank you for your understanding and support

Sincerely,