Changes to ELD Enforcement

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) announced in August that it will begin enforcing the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate requirements on December 18, 2017. However, the out-of-service criteria (OOS) associated with the ELD mandate will not go into effect until April 1, 2018.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) congressionally mandated ELD compliance deadline is still set for Dec. 18, 2017. Beginning on that date, inspectors and roadside enforcement personnel will begin documenting violations on roadside inspection reports and, at the jurisdiction’s discretion, will issue citations to commercial motor vehicle drivers operating vehicles without a compliant ELD.

Beginning April 1, 2018, inspectors will start placing commercial motor vehicle drivers out of service if their vehicle is not equipped with the required device.Delaying the out-of-service aspects of the rule will provide the motor carrier industry, shippers and the roadside enforcement community with time to adjust to the new requirement before vehicles are placed out of service for ELD violations.

Opponents of the ELD rule, most notably the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, have been lobbying Congress to try to get a delay in the rule’s implementation, at least for smaller carriers. However, the CVSA argues that with two full years to prepare for the requirements and obtain devises for their vehicles, it is time to move forward with the regulation. FMCSA’s own research has found that the use of ELDs results in a reduction in a motor carrier’s crash rate and hours-of-service violations.

If you have any questions about the ELD Enforcement, don’t hesitate to reach out to our domestic shipping department at info@pnglc.com or contact us at (717) 626-1107 ext. 1.