A new Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) regulation was announced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Agency in 2015 and is set to go into effect by the end of 2017. Indeed, there are many unanswered uncertainties about the new mandate’s potential to alter the transportation business. The following are responses to the top seven queries about the ELD mandate:
1.) What is the Final ELD Mandate Regulation, and what is an ELD?
A commercial motor vehicle (CMV) has an ELD, or electronic logging device, which syncs with the engine to record every vehicle movement. An ELD precisely and automatically records all driving actions during the day. Also, it keeps track of crucial data and driving time, including vehicle movements, engine hours, power and ignition status, location, and the distance traveled in each state and jurisdiction. Maintenance problems, flaws, and malfunctions may also be reported and found using ELD. The final mandate regulation was developed to provide a safer and more effective working environment for trucking company fleet managers, owners, and drivers.
2.) Who Is Required to Follow the ELD Mandatory?
The overwhelming majority of CMV drivers must generally abide by the ELD regulation. An ELD is required for every driver who keeps RODs for more than eight days while on duty. This even applies to unusual circumstances like fleets of agricultural vehicles, livestock-carrying trucks, and drivers in oil fields. As brought to you by Knight Transportation, the following scenarios are examples of those in which the ELD regulation does not apply or is exempt:
- Drivers who keep records for less than eight days in a month.
- Drivers who are not required to maintain RODS.
- Tow-away drivers.
- Pre-2000 vehicles.
Many exempt cars nevertheless decide to utilize electronic logging devices, however, due to the many advantages of ELDs, including problem detection, vehicle maintenance, streamlined IFTA computation, and location monitoring.
3.) Do ELDs make it safer to drive?
Simply said. ELDs are designed exclusively to make roads safer while also saving lives. By 2046, the Department of Transportation hopes to have ended all traffic fatalities. While this goal is challenging, the ELD is a huge step in the right direction. 11.7% fewer accidents were reported in vehicles equipped with ELDS, according to a study just issued by the FMCSA. Moreover, 53% fewer HOS infractions were committed by drivers utilizing ELDs.
4.) Will an ELD turn off a truck if it goes over the House of Service (HOS) limit?
No. Remember that tracking and measuring vehicle movements is the most fundamental function of ELDs. No ELD gadget has the power to turn off a car. Vehicle control has always been in the hands of the driver and will always be so. Hence, even those above their HOS allotment will not be deactivated.
5.) What are the ELDs’ Driver Benefits?
ELD deployment was designed to relieve drivers of some of their responsibilities. It is intended to automate processes, reduce distractions, and increase compliance. This enables drivers to concentrate on driving and making money rather than other issues. ELDs will essentially do away with Form & Manner infractions. Moreover, it will address the issue of false or out-of-date records and notify drivers of impending HOS violations. Drivers may stop their cars quickly and park in a secure location because of auditory signals and alarms. GPS monitoring, driver scorecards, messaging fleet management, and idle-time tracking are other advantages of ELDs. Moreover, it contains features that simplify and are distraction-free for drivers to interact with dispatchers and fleet management.
6.) Would ELDs Boost Profits?
ELDs are designed to automate processes, lessen administrative hassles, and stop the waste of important resources. Commercial drivers and fleet management can successfully plan better routes thanks to ELD capabilities like GPS tracking. Drivers will thus reach their destinations more quickly than previously, resulting in longer delivery times and more revenues. Moreover, measuring idle time helps in determining fuel waste. Idling costs the economy $5,600 each year, according to estimates. By spotting this waste, drivers and fleet managers may waste less fuel and money. If just one truck’s idle time costs $5,600, consider how much money may be saved if the whole fleet is less idle.
ELDs are also proficient at quickly identifying trouble codes. Hence, management and drivers are immediately alerted when a vehicle needs repair. By examining the history of fault code reports, ELDs may also spot any faults that keep coming up. ELDs also demonstrate that drivers were not at fault in collisions for which they may have been held accountable, saving a fleet firm money on legal fees and insurance premium hikes.
7.) Do ELD logs have to be printed at the roadside?
Drivers must send the latest seven days’ worth of hours-of-service records through online services, email, local transfer via USB or Bluetooth at the roadside, or both. Without a law enforcement officer needing to enter the vehicle, drivers may be printed out or seen at a roadside check.
The seven most frequently asked questions about the ELD requirement are listed above. It should be emphasized that the AOBRDs or older versions of e-logs previously installed on many trucks do not comply with the most current technological requirements set out by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. They do not have the fundamental functionality ELDs provide, such as printouts, graph grids, or displays. Joseph DeLorenzo, head of FMCSA’s Division of Enforcement and Compliance, provided the following justification for why ELDs are preferable to current e-log tools:
“ELDs are more standardized and create the same output file, but from the carrier’s point of view, they may not notice much change from the system they use. Second, they record additional data currently included in ELD requirements, such as engine hours. Moreover, ELDs provide comments and modifications that let drivers modify records while preserving the original data in certain circumstances.
Generally, the trucking sector will benefit from the ELD regulation. There should be a discernible improvement in the trucking business once the reforms are accepted and understood throughout the sector.