ELD Violations Won't Impact CSA Scores Until April 1st

Drivers Will Still Get Costly Fines

In yet another step to ease the transition from paper logs to electronic logging devices (ELDs), federal officials have announced that ELD violations received during the phase-in period will not count against Compliance, Safety, Accountability carrier scores.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) field administrator Jon Dierberger said on Wednesday that a driver found with no ELD or compliant automatic onboard recording device (AOBRD) during the phase-in enforcement period between December 18, 2017 and April 1, 2018 will be cited and could face costly monetary penalties for having no log, but the violation will have no impact on the associated motor carrier’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) ranking.

However, it is not yet known what the impact of these citations will be on future FMCSA compliance reviews. It is recommended that you follow all Hours of Service (HOS) regulations and documentation requirements.

It was previously announced that the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) would start a phased-in enforcement of the requirements of the ELD mandate on December 18 and would delay implementing the out-of-service criteria (OOSC) associated with ELDs until April 1.

It should be noted that an AOBRD must be installed and used in the vehicle before December 18, 2017 to be considered “grandfathered” under the ELD mandate and the device must meet the requirements of 49 CFR 395.15. Motor carriers may continue to use grandfathered AOBRDs only until December 16, 2019. After that date, motor carriers must use ELDs.

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