Are you ready for December 16, 2019?
The ELD mandate compliance deadline is rapidly approaching — is your fleet ready? Not only can failing to comply can result in fines that range anywhere from $150 to over $1,000, but it can also mean your fleet will miss out on key, business-boosting benefits. Though the ELD Grandfather Clause does give fleet businesses until December 2019 for full compliance, why wait? By getting started now, you’ll ensure you’re ready for compliance success in plenty of time.
What is the ELD Mandate?
The Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Rule was congressionally mandated as part of the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” (MAP-21) and was intended to help create a safer work environment for drivers. Prior to the mandate, drivers would traditionally log their Hours of Service (HOS) using manual, or paper forms. An ELD synchronizes with a vehicle’s engine to automatically record driving time, allowing drivers and fleet managers to more accurately track, manage and share Records of Duty Status (RODS) data.
The ELD Mandate contains four key components for fleet drivers, managers and businesses:
- Requires ELD use by commercial drivers who are required to prepare hours-of-service (HOS) records of duty status (RODS).
- Sets ELD performance and design standards, and requires ELDs to be certified and registered with FMCSA.
- Establishes what supporting documents drivers and carriers are required to keep.
- Prohibits harassment of drivers based on ELD data or connected technology (such as fleet management system). The rule also provides recourse for drivers who believe they have been harassed.
Through the MAP-21 Act, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) hopes to reduce crashes, cut down on injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses, and help hold businesses responsible to higher safety standards by eliminating high-risk drivers and vehicles occupying the same road space. With ELDs, the FMCSA hopes to help the motor carrier industry comply with safety-critical HOS regulations and improve the nation’s roads by ensuring drivers get the breaks they need.
The FMCSA estimates that the use of ELDs will result in:
- 1,844 crashes avoided annually
- 562 fewer injuries per year
- 26 lives saved every year
Who is required to comply with the ELD mandate?
As an FMCSA rule, CMV motor carriers and drivers who keep a Records of Duty Status (RODS) are subject to the ELD mandate. As a general rule, if your company has been subject to and following the HOS requirements already, you are likely to also be subject to the ELD mandate. Drivers who use the time card exception, and don’t keep paper RODS, will not be required to use ELDs.
The following drivers may continue to use paper RODS:
- Drivers who keep RODS no more than 8 days during any 30-day period.
- Driveaway-towaway drivers (transporting a vehicle for sale, lease or repair), provided the vehicle driven is part of the shipment or the vehicle being transported is a motor home or recreational vehicle trailer.
- Drivers of vehicles manufactured before the model year 2000.
What is the timeline?
As you can see from the FMCSA’s timeline graphic, we are currently in Phase 2 of compliance: the Phased-In Compliance Phase. This is a two-year period from the Compliance Date to the Full Compliance Phase. During this phase, carriers and drivers who are subject to the rule can use AOBRDs installed and in-use prior to the previous December 2017 deadline and ELDs that are self-certified and registered with the FMCSA.
Image courtesy of FMCSA.
Full Compliance Phase is rapidly approaching… Are you ready for December 16th, 2019?
Did you know using an ELD can provide a multitude of benefits, even if you’re not required to comply? From better management to improving CSA scores, an ELD is a cost-effective way to better manage your fleet. Click here to read more!
