What is the Electronic Logging Device Mandate?

The Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate recently released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires all trucks driving on U.S. highways to have an electronic logbook installed within their vehicle by December 18, 2017.

Our blog post published originally in our Fleet Complet Blog will teach you why it is best to get those ELDs up-and-running as soon as possible, instead of waiting until the final deadline.

Current legislation, FMCSA’s rule 395.15, states that drivers must log their duty status, whether they are operating the vehicle, or are on or off-duty. Furthermore, according to the United States Department of Transportation, these records must be readily available if requested by law enforcement. Drivers must be able to present their duty reports from the past seven days, plus the current day.

What is the Electronic Logging Device Mandate?

The 516-page ELD mandate, also known as the “Final Rule”, updated previous safety administrations to include sections on Hours-of-Service (HOS) and how electronic logging devices can make your drivers’ lives easier while remaining compliant with HOS.

The basics of the FMCSA ruling states that ELDs:

• Must track a driver’s hours-of-service electronically;
• Connect to the truck’s engine to capture drive status;
• Must be connected to a central monitoring system where a fleet manager can keep track of drivers’ status;
• Will address driver harassment problems by eliminating pressure.

Within two years, approximately three million drivers are expected to be impacted by this ruling. Unless otherwise exempt by the new rule, trucking fleets without fleet monitoring software that includes an electronic logbook will be required to update their technology.

Read the full article in our Fleet Complete Blog.