ARLINGTON, Va., April 30, 2025 — The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) has joined with 38 other leading agricultural organizations in a unified call to Congress to prioritize the reauthorization of the nation’s surface transportation programs. In a letter sent today, the groups emphasized the critical role that a modern, efficient, and well-funded transportation system plays in supporting U.S. agriculture and rural economies.
“A strong transportation network is essential to the success of American agriculture,” said NGFA President and CEO Mike Seyfert. “From farm inputs to grain exports, every link in the supply chain depends on reliable roads, bridges, and trucking policies that reflect today’s realities. We’re urging Congress to act decisively to keep rural America moving forward.”
Key priorities outlined in the letter include:
- On-time reauthorization: Congress must reauthorize surface transportation programs before the current law expires in September 2026 to avoid funding disruptions and project delays.
- Sustainable funding: The coalition supports equitable, long-term funding solutions for the Highway Trust Fund that include all vehicle types—gasoline, diesel, electric, and alternative fuels.
- First- and last-mile connectivity: Increased investment is needed in local roads and bridges that connect farms and agribusinesses to major highways, rail lines, and waterways.
- Truck weight modernization: The group urges Congress to authorize a pilot program allowing six-axle trucks up to 91,000 lbs. on interstate highways and to establish a 10 percent axle weight variance for dry bulk haulers.
- Trucking flexibility: Proposed reforms include streamlining Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) requirements and expanding hours-of-service exemptions for agricultural haulers.
- Protecting access to vehicles: The coalition opposes efforts to eliminate internal combustion engine vehicle sales and supports maintaining current motor carrier insurance requirements to prevent unnecessarily high insurance premiums and freight rates and holding motor carriers and freight buyers harmless from excessive litigation costs.
- Streamlined project delivery: The letter advocates for simplifying environmental review processes and expanding rural access to federal infrastructure funds without undue regulatory burdens.
“These commonsense reforms will enhance transportation efficiency, reduce costs, and improve safety across the agricultural supply chain,” Seyfert added. “Congress has an opportunity to deliver a bipartisan win for farmers, agribusinesses, and consumers alike.”
The letter was signed by a broad coalition of agricultural stakeholders, including the Agricultural Retailers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, USA Rice, and The Fertilizer Institute, among others.
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