PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H845)
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 21, 2025
Agricultural and Forestry Hauling Efficiency Act
This bill allows Virginia to increase the vehicle weight limit for covered agricultural vehicles traveling on interstate highways to 90,000 pounds. Specifically, Virginia may provide a special permit for these covered agricultural vehicles to operate on interstate highways in Virginia.
The term covered agricultural vehicle means a vehicle that is transporting (1) unprocessed agricultural crops used for food, feed, or fiber; or (2) raw or unfinished forest products, including logs, pulpwood, rough-sawn green lumber, biomass, or wood chips.
Under current law, there is an 80,000 pound overall gross vehicle weight limit for interstate highways, with exceptions. Virginia allows certain agricultural vehicles that do not exceed 90,000 pounds to travel on Virginia highways that are not part of the interstate highway system.
People & committees
Rep. McGuire, John [R-VA-5] · R–VA
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H845)
Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 11, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-21 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would let Virginia allow, by special permit, vehicles weighing up to 90,000 pounds to carry qualifying agricultural and forest products on interstate highways within the state. It would cover vehicles hauling unprocessed crops for food, feed or fiber, and raw or unfinished forest products. Virginia could choose whether to allow these vehicles.
The Commonwealth of Virginia may allow, by special permit, the operation of a covered agricultural vehicle on the Interstate System in the Commonwealth of Virginia if such vehicle does not exceed 90,000 pounds.
the term covered agricultural vehicle means a vehicle that is transporting unprocessed agricultural crops used for food, feed or fiber, or raw or unfinished forest products, including logs, pulpwood, rough-sawn green lumber, biomass, or wood chips.
Section 2 would add a Virginia-specific exception to the federal vehicle-weight statute. Permission would require a special permit, would apply only on Virginia's interstate highways, and would be limited to qualifying vehicles weighing no more than 90,000 pounds.
Section 127 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: (z) Exception for agricultural vehicles in Commonwealth of Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia may allow, by special permit, the operation of a covered agricultural vehicle on the Interstate System in the Commonwealth of Virginia if such vehicle does not exceed 90,000 pounds.
Eligibility would depend on the cargo being transported. Covered forest products expressly include logs, pulpwood, rough-sawn green lumber, biomass and wood chips; covered crops must be unprocessed and used for food, feed or fiber.
the term covered agricultural vehicle means a vehicle that is transporting unprocessed agricultural crops used for food, feed or fiber, or raw or unfinished forest products, including logs, pulpwood, rough-sawn green lumber, biomass, or wood chips.
The supplied October 11, 2025 source snapshot records introduction and referral to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Highways and Transit Subcommittee on February 21, 2025. It also records sponsor introductory remarks on February 26, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-10-11T08:05:13Z. 2025-02-26: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H845) 2025-02-21: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. 2025-02-21: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2025-02-21: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-21. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version, not other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version, not other versions or accompanying materials, and does not establish formal earmark status.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The narrow statutory exception warrants scrutiny as a targeted benefit; this classification is not a judgment about its merits.
Operators hauling qualifying agricultural or forest products in Virginia could receive permission by special permit to operate vehicles weighing up to 90,000 pounds on the state's interstate highways. This proposed exception is limited by geography, cargo and vehicle weight, with permission left to Virginia. It constitutes the bill's main policy.
Section 127 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: (z) Exception for agricultural vehicles in Commonwealth of Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia may allow, by special permit, the operation of a covered agricultural vehicle on the Interstate System in the Commonwealth of Virginia if such vehicle does not exceed 90,000 pounds.
the term covered agricultural vehicle means a vehicle that is transporting unprocessed agricultural crops used for food, feed or fiber, or raw or unfinished forest products, including logs, pulpwood, rough-sawn green lumber, biomass, or wood chips.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 11, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI