In an effort to improve the clarity of electronic logging device (ELD) regulations, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is seeking comments from the industry regarding these potential mandate changes they are considering.
Comments from the industry will be open until November 15th.
What are Electronic Logging Devices?
An electronic logging device is synchronizes with a vehicle engine to automatically record driving time, for easier, more accurate hours of service (HOS) recording, as defined by the FMCSA. ELDs also automatically records driving activity, miles driven, engine hours, ignition status, location, and other main data points.
Additionally, ELDs are required by law to be used in many commercial vehicles with engines that have been manufactured with a model of 2000 or later. Additionally, as Business News Daily notes, business that do not abide by the federal ELD mandate are subject to a variety of penalties and fines.
Furthermore, in the current FMCSA mandate ELDs must be registered with the FMCSA, have manufacturer certification, and meet specific technical specifications.
Courtesy of Business News Daily, the ELD needs to be able to:
-Synchronize with the engine control module
-Automatically record driving time and details
-Record location via GPS technology
-Support electronic data transfer
-Prevent tampering with the device
-Support certification of driver records (every 24 hours)
-Display report for safety officials (on screen or paper)
What are the Five Main Things the FMCSA is Looking for Comments On?
There are five main things the FMCSA is seeking industry comments on, courtesy of FleetOwner.
- Applicability to pre-2000 engines: FMCSA is looking to find out if it should re-evaluate or modify the applicability of the current ELD regulation for rebuilt or remanufactured engines or glider kits.
- Addressing ELD malfunctions: FMCSA wants to hear input on whether carrier and driver responsibilities should be amended to clarify when a driver must switch to paper logs..
- The removal process from FMCSA’s list of certified devices: FMCSA wants to know if it should require ELD providers to update their listing within 30 calendar days of any change to their registration information. As well as should ELD providers be required to confirm their information on an annual basis, and if they don’t, should an ELD provider’s device be removed from the registered list if it should fail to confirm or update its listing every year.
- Technical specifications: FMCSA is looking for information on the impact of including data elements such as, geo-location, VIN, power unit, location description, driver, trailer number, and more, to every event. They also are looking for comments on if they should consider adding a temporary yard-move mode exception to the regulation.
- ELD certification: FMCSA wants to know whether they should establish a certification process for ELDs, and if they do, what should that process look like.
How is the Industry Reacting to This As of Now?
A few days after the publication in the Federal Register was released by the FMCSA, many comments were already filed, mostly by owner-operators and smaller trucking companies.
Additionally, some of the comments include a “welcome of an ELD retrospective review”, an urge for the agency to eliminate the ELD mandate completely and to leave the pre-2000 engine exemption as is, and more.
You can read more of the comments from those in the industry, here.
As always, we will continue to provide updates on the latest in the industry throughout the year and beyond. Should you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team today!
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