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Grain transport waiver issued for Missouri farmersMissouri As daylight hours are getting shorter, the farmers' workdays are getting longer as unseasonably wet harvest conditions finally give way to drier fields. The Missouri Corn Growers Association alerts farmers rushing to harvest crops of the emergency declaration relaxing certain state and federal trucking regulations. The declaration, issued Oct. 30 by the Missouri Department of Transportation, allows farmers to run their loaded trucks at 10 percent above the maximum licensed weight limit. "This emergency waiver provides much-needed good news for corn farmers," said MCGA President Keith Witt, a grain farmer from Warrenton, Mo. "With this year's narrowing harvest window, the approved weight limit exemption will enable growers to get crops out of the fields and transported to storage quickly. Our thanks go out to Rep. Brian Munzlinger for bringing this to our attention, as well as the Missouri Department of Agriculture and MoDOT for their quick action on a well-received and timely request." With MoDOT's declaration, 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. The declaration can be found online at www.modot.org/mcs. For more information on Missouri's corn industry, visit www.mocorn.org or call 800-827-4181.
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