| Regulatory Information
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This report is in response to Section 6206 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (PL 110-246), which directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and Transportation jointly to conduct a study of rural transportation issues. The report reviews transportation and its effect on rural communities, with an emphasis on agricultural transportation. It looks in depth into each of the four major modes of transportation commonly used by agriculture in the United States: trucking, railroads, barges, and ocean vessels, examining each in the light of its ability to meet rural America’s transportation needs now and in the future. It identifies some broad issues that merit attention from policy makers.
The entire Study of Rural Transportation Issues Report can be found at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/RuralTransportationStudy.
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By an Act of Congress, USDA has the authority to represent U.S. agricultural shippers before several U.S. and international transportation regulatory boards. They include:
- Rail: The Surface Transportation Board, U.S. Department of Transportation, is charged with hearing rail regulatory issues. The more common issues involve railroad service and rate issues, railroad acquisition and merger applications, and applications to abandon or build rail lines.
- Barge: As a member of the Waterway User Board, AMS addresses issues involving barge movement of agricultural products on the Mississippi, Missouri, Columbia/Snake and their tributaries. Repair and replacement of locks and dams and water distribution are common areas of interest.
- Ocean: Agricultural container shipping issues are brought before the Federal Maritime Commission, while issues involving cargo preference and the Jones Act are handled through the Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Container shipping antitrust immunity and coastal shipping/Jones Act issues are of interest to agricultural shippers. The Surface Transportation Board has jurisdiction over domestic non-contiguous ocean shipping company rate matters concerning traffic originating in or destined to Alaska, Hawaii, or a territory or possession of the United States.
- Motor Carrier: Truck driver licensing and hours of service exemptions are important for harvesting agricultural products. These and other interests are brought before the Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
- Refrigerated Transport: The Agreement on the International Carriage of Perishable Foodstuffs and on the Special Equipment to be used for such Carriage (ATP), governs all refrigerated transportation of frozen food and chilled meat, poultry, dairy, fish, seafood, and fresh-cut vegetable products between primarily European countries that signed the ATP. AMS provides information on certifications upon request for U.S. refrigerated transportation equipment exported to to those countries.
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| Previous Regulatory Information (hard-copy only)
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- Highway Regulatory Guidelines for Farm Equipment Operations (1997)
- Maritime Policy and Ag Interests: Impacts of the Conference System
- The Ocean Liner Antitrust Exemption: Economic and Ag Impacts
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