FMCSA ISSUES GUIDANCE FOR USE OF ELECTRONIC LOGGING DEVICES

Electronic Logging Devices - Some Important Notes

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued two additional “important notes” on the final rule for acquiring commercial motor vehicle (CMV) electronic logging devices (ELDs), with a reminder that the initial compliance date is less than 16 months away.

The purpose of mandating ELDs is to significantly reduce the paperwork burden associated with hours-of-service (HOS) recordkeeping for interstate truck and bus drivers, and to improve the quality of logbook data.

The added notes require: “Carriers and drivers subject to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) who are using paper logs or logging software, must transition to ELDs by December 17, 2017.”;

and,

“Prior to purchasing an ELD, carriers and drivers should confirm that the device is certified and registered with FMCSA and listed on this website. Devices not vendor-certified by manufacturers and not registered with FMCSA may not be compliant with the FMCSRs.”

Carriers and drivers using automatic onboard recording devices (AOBRDs) before December 18, 2017, may continue using AOBRDs through December 16, 2019.