News Release

Missouri Department of Agriculture today asked the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to extend their Oct. 30 emergency declaration allowing farmers to run their loaded trucks at 10 percent above the required weight limit to include commercial and private grain haulers.  This addition will provide even more assistance to farmers in getting their crops harvested from the fields and stored in bins or hauled to their local elevators and processors.  Additionally, the Department of Agriculture has asked MoDOT to authorize the movement of product from storage facility to storage facility or end-user.

"There is a small window of opportunity of favorable weather and we want to ensure Missouri farmers can take full advantage of it," said Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler.  "Missouri farmers have been working day and night and this is just another common sense step to help them get their crops from the field to markets."

 With MoDOT's declaration, participating 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 drive must restrict the vehicle speed to no more than 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.
• Must carry a copy of the emergency declaration in each vehicle that operates in response to relief efforts.

To obtain an emergency declaration, visit www.modot.org/mcs.