What Are the New Laws For Hauling Horses?

If you haul horses, commercially or privately, there are new laws that must be adhered to.  Before I explain them to you, let me define some acronyms for you:

                 CMV                commercial motor vehicle

                 CDL                 commercial driver's license

                 ELD                 electronic logging device - automatically records the                                                   number of hours a driver spends behind the wheel

You need an ELD if your trailer is a CMV.

How do I know if my horse truck/trailer is a CMV?

• If your vehicle has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of more than 10,000 lbs.
• If you haul someone else's horse in your trailer and accept money to offset costs
• If you haul a horse to show with the intent to win prize money
• If you are a professional trainer and use your truck and trailer for business purposes
• If you write off your truck and trailer as a business expense

Is a CDL required to haul my horses?

• Yes, if a combination of your vehicle is a GCWR of over 26,000 lbs., and the GVWR of your trailer being towed is over 10,000 lbs.
• Yes, if you haul any single vehicle with a GVWR over 26,000 lbs.
• No, if your truck weighs 11,000 lbs. and your horse trailer has a GVWR of less than 15,000 lbs., you do not need a CDL

There are situations when an ELD is not required . . .  even when you have a CMV.  It is when . . . .

• you are not driving more than 11 hours
• you, as the driver, take 10 consecutive hours off between shifts
• you begin and return your drive to the same location within 12 hour-time
• you drive within a 100 air-mile radius (as the crow flies) from the normal starting work location

These rules do not apply to the occassional short-haul transportation of horses, as long as it is not for compensation or commercial purposes.

In general, if you are hauling for recreational purposes or not showing for prize money, you are exempt from the ELD mandate.  

For more information:

Contact the American Horse Council for brochure on ELDs.

Contact Part 390 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations; General

Information from Penn State, ExtensionHorses.org, and Rutgers.