Legislation has been introduced to extend by three years the exemption of agricultural vehicles from California’s Basic Inspection of Terminals (BIT) program.
Introduced by Assembly Member Tom Lackey (R-36-Palmdale), Assembly Bill (AB) 2415 would extend the exemption until Jan. 1, 2026, from its current deadline of Jan. 1, 2023.
The BIT program requires certain motor carriers to submit their vehicles for California Highway Patrol (CHP) inspection at the place where the vehicles are garaged or maintained. BIT inspections are intended to ensure that motor carriers are complying with Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations and that vehicle maintenance is adequate to prevent collisions and mechanical breakdowns.
Under the bill, an agricultural vehicle is a vehicle or a combination of vehicles under a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 pounds, operated by a producer or employee for the exclusive use of agricultural operations in intrastate commerce.
Under AB 1960, agricultural vehicles are currently exempt from the BIT program since commonly used farm and ranch vehicles also serve as producers’ personal vehicles. According to the California Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), BIT inspections are time-consuming for family farms and ranches. Even minor violations potentially restrict a farmer or rancher from operating a vehicle critical to their business, the association said.
When AB 1960 was signed into law, the CHP was to report to the governor and the Legislature about the impact of excluding agricultural vehicles from the BIT program, including “information about collisions involving excluded vehicles and any associated traffic safety issues associated with excluded vehicles.”
The CHP has not filed the report on the safety of the agricultural exemption, despite the report’s due date of Jan. 1, 2022.
“Nevertheless, the agricultural exemption is set to expire on Jan. 1, 2023, causing undue hardship to farmers and ranchers who would be required to submit to time-consuming BIT inspections—with potentially significant disruptions to the farm or ranch operations—without any new data or public safety considerations justifying the new requirement,” CCA said in its Legislative Bulletin dated Feb. 22.
CCA noted without the report, stakeholders and the Legislature cannot address any concerns the CHP may have regarding the exemption or provide time for other legislation to make the exemption permanent.
“CCA thanks Assembly Member Lackey, a former CHP officer who authored the initial ag exemption from BIT in 2016, for his leadership on this topic and his support of the agriculture community,” the bulletin concluded.
The bill was referred to the Committee on Transportation, but a hearing has not been scheduled. CCA stated it would continue to keep members abreast of the bill. — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
