The FMCSA stated in December 2015 that the ELD mandate will go into effect in December 2017.d everyone has to comply with the rule by 2019. The ELD rule states:
- Commercial drivers who are obliged to prepare hours-of-service (HOS) records of duty status must utilize an ELD (RODS).
- ELD performance and design criteria are established, and ELDs must be approved and licensed with FMCSA.
- Determines the supporting papers drivers and carriers must retain.
Abuse of drivers relying on ELD data or linked technology is prohibited (such as fleet management systems). The rule also gives drivers who think they have indeed been mistreated remedies.
But before you start complying with these rules, check out these exemptions to the mandate.
Top 5 Exemptions Of ELD Rule
The ELD regulation provides for a few exclusions to the ELD obligation, which include:
Operators who drive under the short-haul exclusions may continue to utilize timecards; they are not obliged to keep RODS or use ELDs –
Electronic logging devices are not compulsory for drivers who are not required to keep a Record of Duty Status (RODS). Drivers who employ the 100 air-mile and 150 air-mile short-haul exclusions are also in this ELD regulation exception. To be eligible, drivers must:
- They must operate within a 150-mile radius of their job reporting area.
- Begin and end your day in the same place.
- You must be discharged from work within 12 hours.
- Take at least 10 hours off between 12-hour shifts.
- Not driving for more than 14 hours
Drivers who utilize paper RODS for no more than eight days out of every thirty
A driver does not need an electronic logging device if they keep a Record of Duty Status (RODS) with less than eight days in a 30-day rolling period.
Drivers who use the short-haul exception may occasionally travel outside the exemption radius. They are exempt from the ELD obligation if they log for fewer than eight days in a 30-day cycle. In other words, if a driver violates the short-haul exemption less than eight times in 30 days, they do not require an ELD. If the driver violates this exemption more than eight times in 30 days, the driver will be required to use an ELD for the balance of that 30-day cycle.
Drivers who do drive-away-tow-away operations in which the commodity being delivered or is delivered by the vehicle being driven –
You do not require an ELD if you are a towaway driver and deliver a CMV as part of the cargo. Towaway operators who transport a truck do not own the vehicle and are hence not required to install an ELD.
Drivers of automobiles made before the year 2000 – Can an ELD be installed in an older truck?
An engine control module is necessary for an electronic logging device (ELD) unit (ECM). However, most engines built before 2000 did not include an ECM.
As a result, if a CMV’s engine was manufactured in 2000 or earlier, the vehicle is free from the requirement to install an ELD. This exemption specified the truck’s cutoff year. However, the engine is what matters, and motors can be switched. This waiver now applies regardless of the vehicle’s registration date to the engine’s model year. ELDs are required for automobiles with engine models from 2000 or later, even if the truck was produced before 2000.
Agricultural Vehicles
Certain agricultural vehicles and the carriers that use them are exempt from the ELD rule. It does not apply to all farm vehicles and equipment. It covers private transportation of commodities such as animals, machinery, or supplies by the owner, operator, or a family member or employee.
Benefits Of ELD- Why You Should Buy An ELD Even If You Don’t Have To Comply With The ELD Rule?
ELD compliance is anything but a hassle because using these tools can help your company in numerous ways. Using an ELD has several advantages, some of which are as follows:
- Fuel expenses:
Monitoring fuel usage helps fleet management managers better understand their gas consumption rate.
- Keeping ahead of problems:
With the help of electronic logs, you can identify problems that were previously masked by a sea of paper logs.
- More fruitful use of time:
Drivers and administrators can devote more time to other tasks because maintaining paper logbooks takes less time.
- Improved Safety:
The FMCSA estimates that every year ELDs help prevents 562 injuries and save 26 lives. ELDs can help avert numerous accidents thanks to more effective routing and scheduling, GPS tracking, and timely identification of risky driving behaviors like distracted driving or driving while fatigued.
Modifications to the FMCSA’s HoS Final Rule
Based on public feedback, the FMCSA has modified its HoS rule, which includes four significant adjustments to current standards for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. This regulation, which has been revised due to public feedback, gives drivers subjected to those laws more freedom without jeopardizing their safety.
The rule is as follows:
- increases the short-haul exception to 150 air miles and allows for a 14-hour work shift as part of the exception
- increases the driving window in poor driving circumstances by up to 2 hours
- requires a 30-minute rest after 8 hours behind the wheel (instead of on-duty time)
- enables an on-duty/no-driving interval to count as the mandatory rest period
- changes the commuter berth exception to allow a motorist to fulfill the 10-hour minimum off-duty necessity by spending at least 7, perhaps at least 8, hours of that period in the berth, and a least off-duty time frame of at least 2 hours spent in or out of the berth, as long as the two periods total at least 10 hours and as well as the fact that neither qualifying time counts towards the 14-hour driving window
The revised rule is already available in the Federal Register and will go into effect on September 29, 2020. The 232-page final regulation is now available to the public, and further information may be accessed on the FMCSA’s website.
Read the FMCSA’s statement and get the full HoS Final Rule.
Conclusion
Although the majority of fleets only consider ELDs as a way to comply with the FMCSA’s ELD mandate, they are much more than that. Electronic logging devices, or ELDs, can aid fleets in streamlining their operations, boosting productivity, increasing profits, and investigating new business opportunities.
Additionally, trucking companies can expand much more quickly thanks to the data that ELDs collect. ELDs were initially developed to comply with the FMCSA’s final ELD rule, but now they are much more capable and have a wide range of uses.
