GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. – A growing list of organizations requesting exemptions and delays to the U.S. electronic logging device (ELD) mandate is proof the impending regulation is flawed, according to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA).

It says 12 organizations have filed exemption requests, while 31 have requested a delay.

“The reasons cited in the requests are not unique to just a single company or one sector of the trucking industry,” said Todd Spencer, executive vice-president of OOIDA. “Many of those same concerns apply to all affected by this one-size-fits-all mandate.”

OOIDA says there has been no consistency in the FMCSA’s decisions to deny or grant the requests.

In its denial to one group, the agency said that the request did not demonstrate how, without using ELDs, they would maintain a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the level achieved without the exemption.
But in granting exemptions to two other groups, the agency made no mention of safety, Spencer contended.
“It’s the Nightmare on ELD street,” said Spencer. “Confusion and concern surround this issue. The best solution is an alternate ending to the frightening scene by way of a delay.”

OOIDA itself is pushing for a delay to the mandate, until it says the FMCSA can address “numerous unresolved issues and real-world concerns.”

These concerns include the certification of devices (or lack thereof), connectivity problems in remote areas of the country, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and the ability of law enforcement to access data.
“The ELD mandate is estimated to cost impacted stakeholders more than US$2 billion, making it one of the most expensive federal transportation rulemakings over the last decade,” said Spencer. “This is a massive, unfunded mandate that provides no safety, economic, or productivity benefits for those ensnared by the mandate.  This is another example of a costly regulation imposed on small-business truckers that has no bearing on safety.”