Trucking news and briefs for Friday, June 4, 2021:
Cattle group seeks regulatory relief for livestock haulers after JBS cyberattack
A cyberattack on Memorial Day targeting the world’s largest meat processor, JBS, that shut down at least some of the company’s 84 U.S. facilities has prompted the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association to ask the DOT for regulatory relief for livestock and meat haulers.
In a letter penned to U.S. DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg, USCA asked that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration “provide emergency regulatory flexibility for motor carriers and drivers hauling both live animals and meat products.”
The group said that JBS’ five biggest plants in the U.S. process an average of 22,500 cattle a day, which is nearly a fifth of America’s production. Any delay in JBS’ services, USCA added, “will create a major supply chain disruption, impacting both producers of livestock and consumers of meat at a time when the market is still recovering from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
USCA also cited the hours of service exemption provided to the fuel hauling industry after the recent ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline as a precedent for issuing a similar emergency declaration for livestock and meat haulers.
According to a report from the Associated Press, JBS has resumed most of its operations on Thursday.
Melton offering largest driver pay increase in company’s history
Melton Truck Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 84) is increasing pay for all of its drivers, based on experience and tenure.
