# Livestock hauling software that runs the confinement clock next to the driving clock

> Livestock hauling is the commercial transport of live animals between farms, sale barns, feedyards and packing plants. It is regulated differently from freight because the cargo is alive: 49 USC 80502 limits confinement to 28 consecutive hours without a rest of at least 5 hours, interstate movement needs health papers under 9 CFR part 86, and hours of service relief is limited by 49 CFR 395.1. Neurobird holds the papers, the counts and both clocks on one load record.

- URL: https://neurobird.com/livestockhaul/
- Product: Neurobird Livestock Hauling Audit Platform
- Niche: livestock hauling
- Buyer: livestock haulers and cattle transport fleets
- Status: in development, open for early access
- Updated: 2026-08-21

## What Neurobird Livestock Hauling does

- Verify health certificates and official identification before the truck leaves, not at the line
- Track the 28 hour confinement clock alongside the driver hours of service clock
- Record head count, weights and condition at load and at unload with timestamps
- Log wash outs and rest stops so a disease traceback has somewhere to start

## How it works

1. **Verify before departure** Health certificate, official identification and destination state requirements checked at booking rather than at the line.
2. **Run both clocks** The 28 hour confinement limit and the 11 hour driving limit shown together, so a rest stop is planned rather than discovered.
3. **Record what got there** Head count and weights at load and unload with timestamps, so shrink and death loss are documented instead of argued.

## From the source material

> Livestock : Vehicles hauling livestock from a farm may exceed State weight limits by up to 5 percent.

Source: ops.fhwa.dot.gov, https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/policy/rpt_congress/truck_sw_laws/app_a.htm

## Industry context

- **28 hours** Federal law prohibits confining animals in a vehicle for more than 28 consecutive hours without unloading for feed, water and at least 5 consecutive hours of rest, extendable to 36 hours on written request. (source: Cornell LII, 49 USC 80502, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/80502)
- **80502** The statute sits in title 49 of the US Code and is enforced independently of the trucking hours of service rules, so the two limits have to be planned together. (source: GovInfo, 49 USC 80502, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title49/html/USCODE-2023-title49-subtitleX-chap805-sec80502.htm)
- **395.1** The agricultural commodity provision limits hours of service relief to movement within a stated radius of the source, so most long livestock runs fall back under the ordinary limits. (source: eCFR, 49 CFR 395.1, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-395/section-395.1)
- **11 and 14** Outside the agricultural radius a driver has an 11 hour driving limit inside a 14 hour window after 10 consecutive hours off duty, which is the clock that collides with the confinement clock. (source: eCFR, 49 CFR 395.3, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-395/section-395.3)
- **9 CFR 86** The animal disease traceability rule sets official identification and interstate certificate requirements, and it is what makes a traceback possible after the fact. (source: eCFR, 9 CFR part 86, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-9/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-86)

## Pricing

- Owner operator: $45 per truck, per month
- Fleet: $110 per truck, per month
- Multi state fleet: $190 per truck, per month

## Questions

### What is livestock hauling?

Livestock hauling is the commercial transport of live animals, usually cattle, hogs or sheep, between farms, sale barns, feedyards and packing plants. It is regulated differently from freight because the cargo is alive: there is a federal confinement limit, animal health paperwork for interstate movement, and specific hours of service treatment for agricultural loads.

### What is the 28 hour law?

Federal law at 49 USC 80502 prohibits confining animals in a vehicle for more than 28 consecutive hours without unloading for feed, water and rest of at least 5 consecutive hours. The period can be extended to 36 hours on the written request of the person having custody of the animals. It predates the modern trucking rules and still applies.

### Do livestock haulers get an hours of service exemption?

Agricultural commodity transport, including livestock, has a limited exemption within a radius of the source of the commodity under 49 CFR 395.1. Outside that radius the normal limits apply, including the 11 hour driving limit and the 14 hour window. Running both clocks at once is the practical difficulty.

### What paperwork is needed to cross a state line?

Generally an interstate certificate of veterinary inspection and official animal identification under the federal animal disease traceability rule at 9 CFR part 86, plus whatever the destination state requires such as brand inspection or entry permit numbers. Requirements differ by species and by state.

### Does this replace our ELD?

No. The electronic logging device keeps doing hours of service. This tracks the load: papers, counts, weights, rest stops and wash outs, and shows the confinement clock next to the driving clock so the two are planned together.

## Sources

- [Cornell LII, 49 USC 80502 transportation of animals](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/80502)
- [eCFR, 49 CFR 395.1 scope of the hours rules](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-395/section-395.1)
- [eCFR, 9 CFR part 86 animal disease traceability](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-9/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-86)
- [USDA APHIS, animal disease traceability](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-9/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-86)

## Contact

- office@neurobird.com
- https://neurobird.com/