Now that spring has arrived (yea!) here are a few tips to remember with regard to getting fertilizer and agrichemicals too and from the field.

 

1.  The Hours of Service exemption for the transportation of agricultural inputs applies to fertilizers, chemicals, seed and feed.  In Illinois, it's good for 150 air miles between all distribution points (terminals, retail sites, farm sites) for all 12 months of the year.  
 

2.  The Restricted Farm Service CDL allows persons with a Class B Driver's License to obtain a Restricted CDL for a 180 day period, or two 90 day periods, to transport ammonia nurse tanks for an ag retail supply company.  Keep in mind that no one can have more than one CDL, so if you have an employee with a CDL they would have to forfeit their CDL to obtain the restricted CDL.  Some poeple think of doing this to avoid having to get a hazmat endorsement to pull nurse tanks, but if your employees have a CDL, we recommend they do not forfeit it just to avoid the hazmat endorsement provision.  Given the difficulty these days of obtaining a CDL, it's better to keep it if you can. The application for a restricted CDL is on the IFCA home page at www.ifca.com.

3.  Think Safety!  It's a pressure packed spring with much fertilizer to be applied, but please take the extra few minutes to transport agrichemicals and fertilizer safely.  Those few minutes are nothing compared to the consequences of an accident.  If you do have an accident, remember that ammonia releases must be reported to the National Response Center, IEMA and your local LEPC within 15 minutes of the release to avoid penalties for failure to report.  Even if you are not sure if a reportable quantity was released, make the phone calls anyway.  Spills of liquid or dry fertilizer or agrichemicals must also be reported to IEMA if they could impact water or if it results in injury or a hazard on a public roadway.  

 

4.  Floaters and pesticide applicators are implements of husbandry and exempt from motor vehicle regulations so long as they are traveling no more than 30 mph on public roadways, they do not exceed 12 feet in width, do not exceed 36,000 lbs and are operating within a 50 mile radius of the retail plant.  Excessive speed is often the main reason floaters get stopped and when they do, it often results in confusion with some enforcment officers because of the exemptions for this equipment.  Take it slow and easy on your way to and from the field and you can avoid a lot of problems!    

 

If you have any questions about regulations regarding transportation, emergency response, etc, please contact IFCA.