Publication informs growers about transportation regulations
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A new Purdue University Extension publication will help farmers understand what their legal obligations are when transporting farm equipment on state roads.
"Transporting Farm Equipment: What Growers Need to Know" (PPP-83) is a guide to the laws governing agricultural implements and general utility trailers on the road. Fred Whitford, coordinator of Purdue Pesticides Programs, wrote the publication along with six co-authors.
"Growers in the state of Indiana operate under a different set of rules than the commercial industries and the public," Whitford said. "It's important for Indiana growers to know those differences, including what constitutes an implement of agriculture and what tractors are allowed to pull."
The publication covers rules related to everything from license plates and chains to lights and brakes. Pictures illustrate each rule, and the book also features a question-and-answer section.
"The rules, when taken separately, are almost like a puzzle that doesn't quite fit," Whitford said. "You have to bring them all together before you can answer questions of what is and is not legal. It took us two years to bring the facts together."
The book is available online at https://mdc.itap.purdue.edu/item.asp?item_number=PPP-83 or by contacting a county Purdue Extension office.
Whitford's co-authors include Mike Templeton, president of Surface Transportation Consultant LLC; Justin Schneider, staff attorney at Indiana Farm Bureau Inc.; Stephen Hawkins, assistant director of Purdue Agricultural Centers; Nathan Richwine, legal intern at Indiana Farm Bureau Inc.; and Dee Davis, master motor carrier with the Indiana State Police.
Writer: Julie Preble, 765-494-8402, jmpreble@purdue.edu
Source: Fred Whitford, 765-494-4566, fwhitford@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Steve Leer, sleer@purdue.edu
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