greyhoundsOn the other hand, the ag interest do have a valid point regarding the movement of livestock. I've had first hand experience moving live animals and, as a wise man once told me, that's one of the most difficult things in the world to transport. You cannot just shut down the truck. You've got to keep moving. Otherwise, you'll kill the livestock in a most terrible way. This is an issue that can be solved, but it's going to take some thought and compromise.
You cannot just shut down the truck. You've got to keep moving. Otherwise, you'll kill the livestock in a most terrible way. This is an issue that can be solved, but it's going to take some thought and compromise.
When railroads handled stock there were standard provisions in the Bill of Lading that required the stock to be fed, watered and rested every 24 hours; there was a provision that shipper/consigneed could execute to extend that period to 36 hours. This is why certain terminals were equipped with stock pens 'back in the day'. I don't know if the imposition of these provisions for FWR in the BoL were voluntary by the railroads or required by law.
What kinds of laws apply to movement of stock by truck?
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
It was required by law. 28 hours with the 36 hour exception when authorized by the shipper. IIRC, that 36 hour exception only applied to one class of livestock. Hogs, IIRC. A couple of old heads, now retired, told me of having to unload stock once for food and water. I have a couple of livestock waybills at home, from a collection that came out of an IC depot late 1960s. It has places to record where and when livestock was fed and watered.
I read an article where many truckers are upset because now they can't fudge numbers. They can't run illegal anymore.
I wouldn't think livestock by truck would normally run afoul of time restrictions. Breakdowns and weather could lead to exceptions, but I don't think livestock moves great distances. Unless a trucker is trying to squeeze in one more run, I wouldn't think HOS normally would be a concern.
Jeff
You would be amazed how long it can take to load up live animals. I talked to a couple people I know that haul hogs from near here to a Tyson plant at Joslin Illinois. It can take them 4 hours to load a full load of hogs and the same time to unload them. They are stubborn animals that refuse to go were they are told sometimes. Out west Jeff it can take 12 hours from the ranch to the slaughterhouse. Why they are exempt for now is any cow or pig that dies in the trailer requires the entire load be rejected.
Also produce haulers at least long haul at not exempt from the new requirements however what are exempt are 150 air mile radius haulers so grain and field hauls are exempt.
Not a trucker, and I think I've run out of hours once on the railroad - on a special move. If we have a situation where we know we'll run afoul of HOS, such as our "Black Friday/Saturday" trains, the long distance crew lays off and another crew handles the locals (using the same trainset).
So I've got no horse in the race, as they say.
I certainly realize that the unexpected can happen, but I wonder if some drivers/companies regularly "extended" hours of service between points A and B. This would certainly now be a problem for them. What used to be a day's work now requires two (or two drivers).
With the communications available with PTC, one might wonder if such an e-log mandate might be forthcoming for the railroads. At present, it's watched pretty close by those charged with doing so, but this would add a layer of regulation. Out of HOS? Alarms. Not properly rested? Can't log in and operate the locomotive.
I recall reading some years ago about a crew who reported to the dispatcher that they were tied up as they were out of hours, yet in the background on the radio the dispatcher could hear them blowing for crossings...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Shadow the Cats ownerYou would be amazed how long it can take to load up live animals. I talked to a couple people I know that haul hogs from near here to a Tyson plant at Joslin Illinois. It can take them 4 hours to load a full load of hogs and the same time to unload them. They are stubborn animals that refuse to go were they are told sometimes. Out west Jeff it can take 12 hours from the ranch to the slaughterhouse. Why they are exempt for now is any cow or pig that dies in the trailer requires the entire load be rejected. Also produce haulers at least long haul at not exempt from the new requirements however what are exempt are 150 air mile radius haulers so grain and field hauls are exempt.
It's good to know that the produce haulers are not exempt.
The Tyson plant at Joslin, IL does not slaughter hogs. It slaughters cattle. One dead animal does not require the entire load to be rejected. That dead animal, or dead animals, cannot go in to the human food supply. Dead cattle will probably go in to pet food. (Unless they're too far gone for Rex to eat.)
Unless it's "Grass Fed" beef cattle don't normally go directly from a ranch to a slaughterhouse. They move from the ranch to a feed lot where they fatten up on grain. The ranch to feed lot move may be long distance, but the feed lots are generally close to the slaughter facilities.
An example of a longer haul livestock move would be "feeder pigs" from Canada to the US Midwest. The pigs are born in Canada and go through an accelerated weaning process. Then they are trucked down to the US where there is a more abundant pig food supply.
The 28/36 hour rule applied to all livestock by rail. (It did not apply to truck transportation while the railroads were still engaged in moving livestock.) The animals had to be turned out to pens for food and water at least every 28 hours unless the livestock would reach their final destination within 36 hours. Then they could just go on through to destination.
Some efforts were made to retain railroad livestock movements by making feed and water available in the railcar. If I was still working in railroad marketing the last thing I'd go for would be livestock movement. The truckers can have it.
Greyhounds both my husband and late father in law hauled many a load out of Joslin. In the late 80s it was converted to hogs from cattle when IBP was denied a new construction plant for hogs near the quad cities. They still have a small one near Iowa city however Joslin took over the bulk of the hog work. How do I know this multiple logbook trips from there to Coshoction Ohio for my husband. His cargo pork belly combo bins for Oscar Meyer bacon. He averaged 3 loads a month solo. His carrier 30 a month.
When I first became a Trainmaster in Baltimore's Bay View Yard in 1971 it was recieving loads of hogs destined EssKay meat packing which was located about 2 mile from the yard office. Upon arrival the loaded cars of hogs on the train known as The Baltimoreian - would be pulled in to the Wye track and hosed off from the water stock that was located adjacent to the Wye and then the yard engine would take them down an deliver them to the EssKay plant and pull the empty stock cars from the previous day's delivery. The aroma of meat curing spices wafted over the East Baltimore area compliments fo EssKay.
https://www.esskaymeat.com/
Shadow the Cats ownerGreyhounds both my husband and late father in law hauled many a load out of Joslin. In the late 80s it was converted to hogs from cattle when IBP was denied a new construction plant for hogs near the quad cities. They still have a small one near Iowa city however Joslin took over the bulk of the hog work. How do I know this multiple logbook trips from there to Coshoction Ohio for my husband. His cargo pork belly combo bins for Oscar Meyer bacon. He averaged 3 loads a month solo. His carrier 30 a month.
Well, Tyson says Joslin is a beef plant. And I'll take their word for it.
https://www.tysonfoods.com/contact-us
The fact that your husband hauled pork bellies out of Joslin means nothing. They'll have cold storage at the plant and can well use it to hold pork bellies from their nearby pork slaughter in Columbus Junction, IA.
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