Livestock Truck Solutions: How to stay safe on the road
Do you work in livestock transport?
If yes, you should know about the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) grants limited hours of service (HOS) waiver for livestock transport.
This waiver for livestock transport is a 90-day waiver that focuses on the 30-minute rest break provision regulations for livestock transport.
Truck drivers that provide transportation of livestock such as cattle, bison, horses, sheep and goats are eligible for the wavier.
Here is a list of other livestock allowed under the waiver:
- Elk
- Reindeer
- Deer
- Swine
- Poultry
- Fish
The 90 day waiver was created when concerns were raised about the health risks animals are exposed to when transported in livestock trucks. A 30-minute truck break can be difference between life and death for livestock.
July, August and September are the hottest months of the year for transported livestock.
The 90-day waiver ensures that livestock maintain a healthy well being especially when being transported via interstate commerce.
Any truck driver with the waiver must maintain a satisfactory safety rating to maintain the 90-day waiver. Learn in depth about the waiver by clicking here.
Middleton & Meads wants you and your livestock to be safe as possible on the road. Here are some of our tips for reducing livestock truck injuries during transport:
- Reduce stress for the livestock by truck preventative maintenance solutions such as air conditioning repairs/ proper ventilation systems for farm trucks and mechanical repair services to ensure a cool ride for livestock and safe handling to reduce transit loss rates.
- Never socialize livestock from different farms; fighting is one the leading cause of death with livestock transport. Partitions can help you keep the piece between animals and ensure a good quality of meat.
- Have plenty of water for the animals and promote clients to feed their livestock 6 to 8 hours in advance to prevent deaths during transport from stomach sickness.
- When hauling sheep or cattle, always start early in the morning. This is when they are the quietest
- Have anti-slip flooring installed for the livestock truck to optimize space. Have trailer repairs completed any time you notice something wrong with your fleet. Middleton & Meads offers Fleet Management services.
Middleton & Meads is your one-stop shop for maintenance of transport vehicles.
We understand your livestock trucks must be in good condition to prevent delay of transport and injury to livestock. When livestock transport is delayed or livestock is injured, the cost is not cheap.
We are here to ensure your fleet has no extensive downtime for mechanical breakdowns.
When your fleet is poorly maintained, it’s not safe for drivers to operate livestock trucks and its not safe to transport animals.
Injuries cause value of stock to plummet.
Here at Middleton & Meads we offer:
- Truck Maintenance
- Trailer Maintenance
- Tire replacement
- Brake replacement
- And truck repair solutions.
Contact Middleton and Meads by calling 410-752-5588 or click here today for information.
With three locations to serve you throughout Baltimore, Washington DC and Virginia, Middleton and Meads will keep you “on the road.” Our service professionals are experienced and knowledgeable. That is why companies of all sizes depend on us – day in, day out, mile after mile.
We work with you to provide the solutions to your bus transportation needs!
You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well!
Source:
http://www.mmtanet.com/files/ENews071013.pdf
http://www.animalagriculture.org/Education/Pamphlets/Livestock%20Trucking%20Guide.pdf
http://www.grandin.com/behaviour/rec.truck.html
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3008268