JOHNSTOWN — Federal changes in vehicle regulations set to go into effect within weeks will have a chilling effect on agriculture, local farmers and a statewide farming organization say.

New commercial motor freight changes, to hit March 1, will require Pennsylvania farmers and their equipment to comply with the same regulations imposed on interstate commercial trucking firms, making it more difficult for many small- to medium-sized farms to continue operating, Somerset farmer Harold Shaulis said.

“If they don’t do anything to fix it, farmers will have to have commercial driver’s licenses, log every trip and safety inspections of equipment every time they drive somewhere,” Shaulis said. “All they have to do is exempt agriculture.”

That may be easier said than done.

The state’s failure to implement the more stringent regulations, including related to agriculture, will jeopardize up to $80 million in federal money Pennsylvania now receives for highways and to support enforcement of commercial motor vehicle regulations.

But without an agricultural exemption, the new rules could spell doom for already-struggling farmers, said Martin Yahner of Patton.

“These regulations, if enforced, will make it impossible for farmers in Cambria and Somerset counties and elsewhere in Pennsylvania to operate,” Yahner said. “Where do these bureaucrats think the food will come from in this country?”

A ‘crushing’ blow?

The changes will make it illegal for anyone younger than 18 to operate a farm tractor or truck pulling an attachment weighing more than 17,000 pounds.

The new guidelines require medical certification for anyone driving a farm vehicle above that weight limit. Farmers say those are two of the toughest new restrictions being imposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The new regulations will require record-keeping even for short trips off the farm and will apply more-stringent vehicle maintenance and inspection practices.

“Pennsylvania is not alone in this process,” said Lt. Ray Cook, commander of the state’s Commercial Vehicle Safety Section.

Tougher standards on agriculture vehicles are anticipated for California and other states, he said.

The changes surfaced after a review of transportation laws in Pennsylvania a few years ago.

The federal Department of Transportation determined the state’s laws were not strict enough, said Mark O’Neill, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.

“This would be the most major changes on Pennsylvania farms since we’ve had tractors,” O’Neill said.

“It could just have a huge negative impact on every farm in Pennsylvania, but crushing to small- and medium-sized operations.

Lobbying efforts

Farm bureaus at the state and national levels are lobbying legislators for “sensible exemptions” from some of the new regulations, he said.

“Even if we can just delay this until it can be further researched,” O’Neill said.

A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Hollidaysburg, said some members of Congress have co-sponsored legislation that would exempt farm vehicles in many cases from the tighter regulations.

“We’re working with the (federal) Department of Transportaion and PennDOT to get a solution to fix this,” Shuster spokesman Jeff Urbanchuk said.

A House bill calls for the weight limit on farm machinery falling under the tougher standards to be increased to 26,000 pounds, which would exempt most tractors used to pull wagons and machinery.

The bill also was co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, said spokesman Matthew Mazonkey.

“Agriculture is one of the top economic drivers in Pennsylvania, and it is critical, particularly in light of this tough economy, that farmers are not faced with new regulations and additional hardships,” Murtha said through his spokesman.

Sen. Arlen Specter, in a letter to Ray LaHood, secretary of the Department of Transportation, urged an increase to the 26,000-pound limit.

A spokeswoman for Sen. Robert Casey said he is working with state and federal officials to evaluate solutions.

Waiting game

But political efforts don’t look promising to Shaulis.

“Everything is in committee and nobody is in any hurry to do anything,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state police commercial vehicle safety section does not have the manpower to operate spot checks on farms similar to the program it carries out along highways, Cook said.

“I do not see us undertaking any type of targeted enforcement at this time,” he said.

But if a wreck involving unsafe farm equipment occurs on a public highway, the farmer could receive summary citations, Cook said.

The new regulations will be acted on by the state’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission on Feb. 25, said Sarah Miller, the commission’s communications manager.

A spokesman for the federal transportation agency did not respond to a request for comment.