ELD
What does Trump mean to us?
Well, we're a couple of tumultuous weeks into the new Trump administration south of the 49th, and it would seem chaos prevails. At least for the moment. With the new President having promised, implicitly and otherwise, something of a war on regulatory controls, some issues with an impact on trucking are up in the air.
Canada’s approach to Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs)
The days of paper logbooks are numbered for southbound fleets, with the U.S. preparing to mandate Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) by the end of 2017. Canada originally led the way in discussions to set standards for the devices. Now we're playing catch-up. With trucking associations backing their use, it may only be a matter of time before ELDs are mandated for domestic fleets as well.
Benefits of ELDs outweigh costs 2:1, Transport Canada says
TORONTO, ON - Transport Canada has determined that the benefits of Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) essentially double the related costs, according to a newly released Cost-Benefit Analysis. The analysis examined two scenarios - a mandate for all federally regulated carriers, and one that excluded vehicles that would already have to meet a pending U.S. mandate for the devices. The analysis "confirms the significant net benefit from an ELD mandate and dispels some of the myths about ELDs that are out there," said David Bradley, CEO of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, which released the results.
ELDs, cost controls top carrier and shipper agenda
TORONTO, ON - Telematics are increasingly being used to control costs, but shippers and carriers who spoke at the recent Surface Transportation Summit are recognizing that more challenges are on the horizon - especially when it comes to pending mandates for Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs).
IN PRINT — ELDs Part 3: Inside the Black Boxes
If you're prone to anxiety when facing a wide variety of choice, such as when you're buying a pair of shoes or a candy bar, consider asking someone else in the fleet to spec' an Electronic Logging Device (ELD). There are more than 25 suppliers in the space now; by this time next year that number is expected to swell fourfold.
Made to Measure: Advances in telematics
TORONTO, ON -- There was a time that trucks essentially disappeared into a black hole between fleet gates and customer loading docks. Nobody really knew where equipment was at any given point in time. The only person who knew a fault light was shining on the dash was the driver. Telemetry and telematics changed this dramatically, capturing and streaming data for drivers, vehicles, and operations teams alike.
IN PRINT — ELDs Part 2: The Learning Curve
TORONTO, ON -- When I replaced my typewriter with a laptop some years ago, everyone told me it would be an easy transition. It's the same thing, they told me. The keyboard, at least, was more or less the same. I soon discovered I'd have a few other things to deal with, like software and operating systems and crashes and batteries and floppy disks and updates and the dreaded Blue Screen of Death - moments before a deadline. The move to electronic logs from paper won't be any different.
Transport Canada begins consultations on ELDs
TORONTO, ON - Transport Canada has officially launched "informal" consultations around Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) -- a move that the Canadian Trucking Alliance sees as a precursor to mandating the equipment for federally regulated carriers. Such consultations come before the more formal process of publishing a proposed rule in Canada Gazette Part 1, which the alliance expects sometime in early 2017. A 60-day comment period would then be required before a final rule is published, and a compliance date would be one or two years after that. "The momentum is clearly building towards a mandate," said David Bradley, president and CEO of the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA). He also called on provincial governments to "get on board and start preparing" for mandates that mirror those at the federal level.
‘Capricious’ ELD mandate challenged by OOIDA
CHICAGO, IL -- Claiming that the coming U.S. mandate for electronic logging devices to be used by interstate truck drivers is "arbitrary and capricious", the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has filed an appeal to challenge the rule. OOIDA is challenging the U.S. ELD mandateELDs won't improve safety, the organization claims, adding that the mandate propagated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is in violation of 4th Amendment rights against reasonable searches and seizures. The mandate requires that truck drivers use ELDs to track their driving and non-driving activities even though such devices can only track movement and location of a vehicle. The FMCSA finalized the rule late last year. OOIDA, representing small-business truckers, stated its arguments in a legal brief filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. "The agency provided no proof of their claims that this mandate would improve highway safety," said Jim Johnston, OOIDA president and CEO. "There is simply no proof that the costs, burdens and privacy infringements associated with this mandate are justified." His point is not made in a vacuum. In fact the FMCSA is now being urged, and strongly, to make a bunch of improvements in its data and research methods "to support a more comprehensive understanding of the relationships between operator fatigue and highway safety and between fatigue and long-term health."
CTA: Canada Should Follow U.S. ELD Mandate
TORONTO, ON - Thursday's announcement of the final U.S. rule requiring the use of electronic logging devices (ELD) in late 2017, puts Canada "under the gun" to do the same thing, according to one group here at home, while reaction to the plan where it was born is mixed. The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) says the move by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration removes any remaining argument for the Canadian governments not to move forward with a similar mandate in Canada.
Questions About Electronic Logging? Check This Out.
DALLAS -- As regulators move closer to requiring controversial electronic logging devices for most trucks operating in both U.S. and Canada, a new online resource is available to people who have questions about the devices and the rules. ELDfacts.com has been started by the fleet management services provider Omnitracs LLC, in anticipation of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration mandate slated for a September release. The regulations are expected to take effect sometime later.
