The National Chicken Council on Wednesday joined agriculture and transportation groups in sending a letter to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that requested an extension of the Hours-of-Service waiver to include the entire agricultural supply chain.

Specifically, the letter noted that the hauling of feed and fertilizer was not currently included in FMCSA’s waiver, which details the “essential services” in the United States that would be eligible for the Hours-of-Service relief. The waiver was originally issued in response to President Trump’s declaration of a national state of emergency on March 1 and subsequently expanded to include livestock and live haul as eligible for the waiver because they were considered “immediate precursors” to essential items for the COVID-19 relief effort.

FMCSA then released guidance on March 25 that extended the Hours-of-Service waiver to include feed and fertilizer, heeding the letter’s request. FMCSA dropped the “immediate” requirement and has broadened the list of precursors to include items such as feed and fertilizer.