FMCSA reveals final rule on use of electronic logging devices

by Truck News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced a final rule that will improve roadway safety by requiring the use of electronic logging devices (ELDs) across the commercial truck and bus industries.

“Since 1938, complex, on-duty/off-duty logs for truck and bus drivers were made with pencil and paper, virtually impossible to verify,” said US transportation secretary Anthony Foxx.  “This automated technology not only brings logging records into the modern age, it also allows roadside safety inspectors to unmask violations of federal law that put lives at risk.”

According to the FMCSA, requiring the use of electronic logging devices (ELD) will result in an annual net benefit of more than $1 billion – largely by reducing the amount of required industry paperwork.  It will also increase the efficiency of roadside law enforcement personnel in reviewing driver records, the FMCSA said. It is also estimated that the final rule save 26 lives and prevent 562 injuries resulting from crashes involving large commercial motor vehicles on an annual basis.

Reports say the official rules are set to be published on December 11. It will take effect two years afterwards and require Canadian and Mexican domiciled drivers to use the devices on US roads.

“This is a win for all motorists on our nation’s roadways,” said FMCSA acting administrator Scott Darling.  “Employing technology to ensure that commercial drivers comply with federal hours-of-service rules will prevent crashes and save lives.”

The four main elements of the ELD Final Rule include:

  • Requiring commercial truck and bus drivers who currently use paper log books to maintain hours-of-service records to adopt ELDs within two years.  It is anticipated that approximately three million drivers will be impacted.
  • Strictly prohibiting commercial driver harassment.  The Final Rule provides both procedural and technical provisions designed to protect commercial truck and bus drivers from harassment resulting from information generated by ELDs.
  • Setting technology specifications detailing performance and design requirements for ELDs so that manufacturers are able to produce compliant devices and systems – and purchasers are enabled to make informed decisions.
  • Establishing new hours-of-service supporting document (shipping documents, fuel purchase receipts, etc.) requirements that will result in additional paperwork reductions.  In most cases, a motor carrier would not be required to retain supporting documents verifying on-duty driving time.

The FMCSA relied on input from its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee when developing the final rule.

You can read a copy of the ELD Final Rule here:https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hours-service/elds/electronic-logging-devices-and-hours-service-supporting-documents.

 

 


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    • Glad im no longer a truck driver after 20 yrs..ive used e logs a couple times and i hated it..get up drive to shipper then sit all day getting loaded then hours run out then your illegal even going to a truck stop 5 min away..well good luck making a living..i make just as much money driving in my new job and home every night not getting inspected or looking for somewhere to park..good riddens to trucking..been there done that..

  • “saves 26 lives”. Please provide the data to back up that statement.
    On the plus side, there is no longer any reason why drivers cannot be paid by the hour. You can’t speed, can’t cheat the ELD, the company knows how long you worked and when verified by the engine data. So, pay by the hour and everyone wins.
    If company has to pay by the mile/km, or by the load, or percentage then they are not charging enough to run a trucking company.

  • Coercion law will be the law that will bring shippers, receivers and transport company to reach some understanding about being legal on driving after a 10+ hours waiting time for produce.
    Every one of them will have difficulty with procedure on how to manage time on pick up, delivery,and travelling to net location.
    Doing 650 miles per day will be long gone and am all for this E-log implementation.

  • Mack
    I think it’s a way to put the little companies out of business. The elogs will work for the big companies who can eat the wait time but the owner operator will suffer . Having to wait hourso to get load or unloaded. For them to loose a back haul .cause the are out of hours . They enforced this they need to enforce higher RATES AND LOWER FUEL COST

  • WE THE OWER OPERATOR ALL TRUCK DRIVER SHOULD STRIKE THIS IS SOME BULL SH**. I THOUGHT THIS WAS THE UNITED STATES . WHERE U HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE A HONEST LIVING. THEY PEOPLE WHO PASS THE LAW HAVEN’T NEVER EVEN DRIVEN A TRUCK AND WAITED 6HRS GETTING LOADED OR UNLOADED. WE ALL TRUCK DRIVERS NEED TO STAND UP FOR EACH OTHER

  • December 17, 2017 will be my retirement date. I am not buying ELD crap for occasional hauling like one or two 400 mile trips per week.

  • I tkink the trucking industy should strike it happened once in the 70.s why not do it again you going to let the goverment take food off your tabel hell this e log is for the birds all trk drivers will loose taking from my family that i worked hard for hell no i say strike it down this is a free country if it was not for drivers the goverment wont get there shit either see how they like it

  • Another giant scam by corporate america to drive small carriers out of business, like Main Street small town destroyed by big box stores, swift, Schneider, cr England, and the super carriers will destroy small family run trucking companies. Another corporate america take over, funded by the rail roads and Matt. Shame on the teamsters union for only worrying about adding members to list.

  • If you would like e logs to work properly, rework the hours of service, simply put, remove this stupid 14 hr rule, stop the clock when a truck is sitting loading/unloading, split logging hrs to 5 and 5, if you need 10 hrs off consecutively then you go right ahead take it. I have been driving 31 yrs with no accidents and truly loved my job, now with e log i cant wait to be done. 36 hr reset 1.5 hrs from my home. Kiss my ass!!!