Many rural contractors have lost patience with efforts to amend work time rules which they say make it impossible for them to do their job without breaking the law.
They say the law defining strict work and rest periods for heavy transport users is impossible for agricultural contractors and farmers to comply with, especially during weather-dependent operations such as harvesting or spraying.
The national rural contractors organisation has been negotiating with the New Zealand Transport Agency to allow agricultural contractors more flexibility.
After a six-month trial allowing contractors to work up to 18 hours a day under certain conditions, to harvest crops, the Ministry of Transport has agreed to a review of transport legislation applying to agricultural vehicles.
Rural Contractors New Zealand says it plans to take a position paper to the Minister early next year.
But a mid-Canterbury contractor, Nick Yeatman, says continuing to tinker with an unworkable rule is like clipping the toe-nails of a patient who needs a leg amputated.
And after a North Island contractor was heavily fined recently for breaching the rule he's lobbying to have rural contractors and farmers exempted.
He says New Zealand should look to other parts of the world such as the United States and European Union which have written exemptions for agricultural operations into their regulations.
Mr Yeatman says safety and fatigue management issues are already covered by the Health and Safety Act .
