Double-Decker Trailers May Finally Be Banned For Equine Transport

The crusade to end the transportation of horses in double-decker trailers was first introduced in a federal bill in 2008, but 2020 may finally be the year it gets off the ground. Called the Horse Transportation Safety Act, the bill seeks to promote animal welfare and public safety by prohibiting the transportation of horses across state lines in a vehicle that contains two or more levels stacked on top of one another.

Though the bill has had bipartisan support, it has stalled in committee because of competing priorities. It passed unanimously out of the House of Representatives’ Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, but was never brought up for a vote before the full House.

The Horse Transportation Safety Act (H.R. 1400) is currently being led by Representatives Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Peter King (R-N.Y.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.). The bill has been endorsed by all the major animal protection groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, the Animal Welfare Institute and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA); it is cosponsored by 132 lawmakers.

Double-decker trailers are meant to haul shorter animals like cattle and hogs; the ceiling clearance in most double-decker trailers is just 5.5 feet, well under the AVMA recommended equine height clearance of 7 or 8 feet. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) noted that horses in these trailers are far more likely to be injured and the trailer is more prone to tipping; the entity banned the use of these trailers for the transport of horses bound for slaughter.

Though there are no slaughterhouses currently operating in the U.S., thousands of horses are shipped across the Mexican and Canadian borders, bound for foreign slaughterhouses. Because only slaughter-bound equines fell under USDA authority, the organization has no oversight on other equines that are moved about the country. Lawmakers currently have the chance to extend protection to all horses that cross state lines from being shipped in double-decker trailers.