Pennsylvania, New Jersey Sign Agreement On Commercial Driver's License Exemption For Farmers

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 16 -- Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff today announced that Pennsylvania and New Jersey have signed an agreement allowing operators of farm vehicles to drive equipment over state borders.

"Essentially, this agreement recognizes both New Jersey's and Pennsylvania's exemption of the Commercial Driver's License (CDL) exemption for farmers," said Wolff. "For farmers working land in both states, the agreement makes their job a little less complicated-and allows farmers to concentrate on doing what they do best, produce food."

The CDL exemption applies to vehicles which are: controlled and operated by farmers, their employees or family members; used to transport agricultural products, farm machinery or both to and from a farm; and operated within 150 miles of their farms.

The 1986 federal Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act requires operators of vehicles with a gross weight rating of more than 26,000 pounds, carrying 15 or more persons, or transporting hazardous materials to have a CDL. Federal law permits states to exempt farm equipment operators when there is a reciprocal agreement, as New Jersey and Pennsylvania have done.

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