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Harvest weight limit exemption approved for grain haulersAs farmers continue to face unseasonably wet harvest conditions, the Missouri Department of Transportation Oct. 30 granted an emergency declaration relaxing certain state and federal trucking regulations for farmers who must rush to harvest crops and transport their grain to storage facilities. The declaration will allow farmers to run their loaded trucks at 10 percent above the maximum licensed weight limit. "As soon as the sun starts shinning, the combines will start rolling," said Keith Witt, Missouri Corn Growers Association president. "With this year's narrowing harvest window, the waiver will enable growers to get crops out of the fields and transported to storage quickly to prevent crop loss. Our thanks go out to Rep. Brian Munzlinger for bringing this to our attention, as well as the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the Department of Transportation for their quick action on a much needed and timely request." With MoDOT's declaration, participating farmers will be required to abide by the following: --Loaded, gross weight can be no greater than 10 percent above the gross vehicle weight rating of the vehicle licensed weight. --Limit transport of row crop commodities from the farm to a local storage facility and empty return trips to the farm. --When crossing a bridge, the driver must restrict the vehicle speed to 45 miles per hour and must center the truck between two lanes of the bridge. --Travel on highways other than Missouri interstate highways --no interstate travel will be permitted. --While transporting row crops from farm to storage, farmers are not required to abide by hours-of-service laws. The waiver became effective Oct. 30 at 12:01 p.m., and will end Dec. 1 at 12:01 a.m. Farmers are required to carry a copy of the declaration in each vehicle that is operating under the emergency waiver. To obtain your copy, visit www.modot.org/mcs.
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