Proposed road rules for farmers anger some

Billings Gazette ^ | July 25, 2011 | Tom Lutey

[bkopto]

Tractors lumbering down country roads are as common as deer in rural Montana, but the federal government wants to place new driving regulations on farmers and ranchers.

“It’s a huge deal for us,” said John Youngberg of the Montana Farm Bureau. After years of allowing state governments to waive commercial driver’s license requirements for farmers hauling crops or driving farm equipment on public roads, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is poised to do away with the exceptions.

Regulators are suggesting that all wheat shipments be considered interstate, even when farmers making short hauls to local grain elevators aren’t crossing state lines. The change would make commercial driver’s licenses — and all the log books and medical requirements that go with them — a necessity for farmers. Some might not qualify.

(snip)

FMCSA argues that because grain will ultimately be shipped out of state, it should be regulated as an interstate product at every transportation step. Treated as a product destined to cross state lines, grain becomes federally regulated under the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution.

[4yearlurker]

How can we eat our peas if the farmer can’t get them to market?

[Atlas Sneezed]

I’ve also seen farmers here in GA drive farm machinery on the roads like they were total morons. Pay absolutely no attention to stop signs, and then go 30 mph below the speed limit down the middle of the road once they get in front of you. Hold up a string of 25 or 30 vehicles while going 10 mph and failing to pull over periodically to let them pass (as is required by state la here in GA).

---

Licensing them won’t stop this. Enforcing the law will (instead of having cops sit at profitable speed traps having little to do with public safety).

[GreenLanternCorps]

That is an awful lot of people for an agency that has only a few basic functions under “interstate commerce”.

Keep your equipment in good repair when crossing a state line.

Don’t drive for too long or in a unsafe manner when crossing state lines.

Don’t overload your vehicle when crossing a state line.

Unless it crosses a state line or directly related to it, it’s not “interstate”. Unfortunately the courts folded on that issue back the second Roosevelt administration.

These days breathing is “interstate commerce” for the Obama administration.

[little jeremiah]

We are being funneled into a hell of tyranny.

90% of what the fedgov does is not only unconstitutional, it’s downright evil and hatefully destructive.

Why in hell is there something called the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and why the hell can it make up whatever crap it wants to and force everyone to obey it? Who died and made it god????

TMG - this type of creeping oppression - especially against the few producers left in the country - boils my blood. Pitchforks!

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

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[GreenLanternCorps]

Properly, that is a state issue. All highways are state highways (yes all of them, including interstates and US highways, those just get federal funding under the “post roads” clause). The state sets the rules of the road. If farmers are driving in an unsafe manner the state needs to rewrite the rules for that state.

[dennisw]

Hold up a string of 25 or 30 vehicles while going 10 mph and failing to pull over periodically to let them pass (as is required by state la here in GA).

This is my only complaint. They should pull over and stop acting stupid. They aren't paying road upkeep taxes. I have no problem with slow moving farm equipment as long as they pull over periodically

[greeneyes]

Carriers - aren't they usually things like airlines, buses etc ?

[zzeeman]

Another article on this for reference: AGENDA 21 UPDATE: FAMILY FARMS ARE UNDER ATTACK

[Mr.Unique]

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Huh?

[little jeremiah]

Words can mean whatever the dictatorship wants them to mean. At any given moment, they can change the meanings arbitrarily as it suits their purposes.

[I am Richard Brandon]

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says it wants to make sure federal safety regulations are being carried out uniformly across the nation that its empire is assured and it continues in existence and keeps on growing for ever. /FIXED

[Adder]

I don’t know who these people are.
Can you just say “Yeah yeah yeah” and go on like you have been?

Or does it take more of a smackdown?

Seems to me if its a rural area, fed presence won’t be much.

[from occupied ga]

There are laws on the books in GA governing how farm machinery can be run on highways. For example when a slow moving vehicle accumulates more than 4 vehicles behind, the slow vehicle must pull over at the first safe spot to do so and let them pass. NEVER seen a farmer do this. I think it's a point of pride with them how many people they can inconvenience. "Hey Clem - tied up 42 cars today. How 'bout you?" "Naw, best I did today was 33."

The jackasses driving the farm machinery just don't follow the laws. I don't know if they're ignorant of the laws or just too inconsiderate to care. I hate to see more regulation - just the same as anyone else, but years of following idiots driving farm machinery, almost getting killed by idiots driving farm machinery (running stop signs), and occasionally getting run on to the shoulder by idiots driving farm machinery has reduced my sympathy toward them to about zero, and I suspect that A lot of other people won't be very sympathetic to them for the same reasons.

[American Constitutionalist]

" I might consider it if and only if they require the same for bicycles "

Actually ? since bicyclist ride on public roads, there is no reason why they are not paying taxes like us who drive cars or trucks, and there is no reason since they also drive on public roads that they should not be required to get a driver's license, and get insurance for those who use a bicycles, mopeds, skate boards, or anyone who uses any means of transportation on wheels on the road.
Tax the liberal bicyclist who ride their bikes on the roads and thumb their noses at us who drive cars because they are " SAVING THE PLANET " .

[Dick Bachert]

[Dick Bachert]

That's the plan. Oh, 2012 COME QUICKLY!!!!

“It was planned this way. Ohh, Mr. Soros will be sooo pleased!”

[Buckeye McFrog]

We should be really concerned that these Federal bureaucrats seem to have no fear of proposing this now.

Since the Whiskey Rebellion up until the dawn of this century the Feds have proven highly reticent to take on farmers, out of fear of taking a pitchfork up the arse.

The fact that they are no longer worried about that is very troubling indeed.

[rockinqsranch]

....”We taxpayers are underwriting our own destruction.”

Very true words. Especially NOW at the time of the current administration of what was OUR government.

[EdReform]

LOL! Post of the day!