To exempt certain livestock hauling vehicles from regulations relating to hours of service and electronic logging devices, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Hurd of Colorado (for himself, Mr. Mann, Mr. Evans …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The HELP Act (Hauling Exemptions for Livestock Protection Act) exempts trucks transporting livestock, insects, and live aquatic animals from federal hours-of-service regulations and electronic logging device (ELD) requirements. The exemption applies both when vehicles are loaded with live animals and when they are unladen (empty) while picking up or returning from a delivery.
Who Benefits and How
Livestock haulers and trucking companies that transport live animals benefit significantly. They would no longer need to comply with federal rules that limit how many hours drivers can operate before resting, and they would not be required to install or use electronic logging devices that track driving time. This reduces compliance costs, increases scheduling flexibility, and allows drivers to complete longer hauls without mandated rest stops - which supporters argue is necessary because live animals require continuous care and timely delivery.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The general public faces increased road safety risks, as hours-of-service rules exist to prevent accidents caused by fatigued drivers. Truck drivers in the livestock industry may face pressure to drive longer hours without rest, potentially compromising their health and safety. Competing trucking companies that must still comply with these regulations could be at a competitive disadvantage.
Key Provisions
- Exempts covered livestock hauling vehicles from hours-of-service regulations under Title 49, United States Code
- Exempts these vehicles from electronic logging device (ELD) requirements
- Extends the exemption to unladen vehicles picking up livestock or returning from delivery
- Broadly defines "livestock" to include traditional farm animals, insects, all commercially raised animals, and live-caught aquatic animals
- Applies to any commercial motor vehicle as defined under existing federal law
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
The bill exempts certain livestock hauling vehicles from regulations related to hours of service and electronic logging devices.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Livestock (as defined in section 602 of the Emergency Livestock Feed Assistance Act of 1988), insects, all other living animals cultivated, grown, or raised for commercial purposes, and live aquatic animals that have been caught, taken, or harvested.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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