The Wisconsin Milk Haulers Association has been very active over the last several years working on Wisconsin state law changes to help our members do their job more efficiently and effectively. We’re proud of our accomplishments to date but know there is more work to be done to better our industry.
Here are some of those accomplishments:
2023 Wisconsin Act 19 – Ag Roads Grant Program
The new law creates a $150 million grant program for agricultural roads with posted weight restrictions. The intent is to provide targeted funding for local roads with such weight restrictions, and in exchange for the grant, the local municipality could no longer post weight restrictions on any road that receives funding for improvements and upgrades.
2023 Wisconsin Act 153 – CDL Tuition Grants
The new law requires the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) to establish a commercial driver training grant to persons and entities that provide CDL training. Grants may not exceed, for each person trained, 50% of the cost to train that person or $3,000, whichever is less. The deadline for applications and sunset of the funding is July 1, 2025.
2023 Wisconsin Act 158 – Milk By-Products Permit
The new law authorizes the WisDOT to issue annual or consecutive month OSOW permits up to 98,000 pounds and includes liquid whey and whey byproducts in the definition of “fluid milk product”.
The new law does not replace any current Fluid Milk Product permits, but instead creates a new permit with certain limitations, including a prohibition on interstate transport. Anyone who currently holds an FMP may continue to utilize the permit and transport on the interstate.
2023 Senate Bill 613 caps the amount of non-economic damages that a person may recover from a motor carrier for injury, death or other loss at $1 million per victim. The legislation is aimed at preventing multimillion dollar “nuclear” verdicts against trucking companies from occurring in Wisconsin. While SB 613 was approved by both the State Assembly and State Senate, Governor Evers vetoed the bill.
2020 Wisconsin Act 152 – License Reciprocity
The new law recognizes milk weigher and sampler licenses issued by other state agriculture agencies as being valid in Wisconsin. This new law will reduce the unnecessary regulatory burden of paperwork on milk haulers moving product across multiple states. This is a common sense law which will not jeopardize public safety or liability.
2020 Wisconsin Act 174 – Hours of Service Exemption
The new law creates an agricultural commodity exemption from the federal Hours of Service regulations covering planting and harvest periods applicability within a 150-air mile radius. Hours of Service requirements do not apply during planting and harvesting periods to drivers transporting agricultural commodities or farm supplies for agricultural purposes with certain conditions.
Under prior Wisconsin law, the planting and harvesting season was March 15 through December 15. This new law changes the planting and harvesting period for purposes of this exception to January 1 to December 31. Now, carriers transporting ag commodities – including milk – are exempt from the Hours of Service regulations so long as they remain within the 150 air-mile radius.