FMCSA opens the floodgates for comments on ELD rule

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the overlords of truckers everywhere, would like our opinions on the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate. Talk about opening a door and welcoming in the vampires ‘cause we are thirsty for some blood on these topics. 

What is your opinion on the state of ELD usage? Would  you like more?

“No! Not just no, but hell no.” That would be the collective answer of the millions of truckers that feel downtrodden and are tired of being mismanaged by the little black box parasitically linked to the engine control module (ECM) of their trucks and their lives. 

So when the FMCSA asked “how do we feel” about having ELDs added to older trucks currently grandfathered out of the mandate, what do you expect the answer to be? A chorus of “hell no’s” is about to fill the comment section of the docket that opened this morning. 

But it gets better, and it’s something I did not know. There’s no certification process to verify an ELD even works legally. Yeah, the inexpensive ELD you bought off some website for pennies on the dollar or the ones available at the truck stop might not even be operating to standards. 

Most of the time, if there’s an issue with the ELD that is not reversible, the company will self-revoke the device and list it on the FMCSA ELD website. But recently, FMCSA had to step in and pull the plug on the ELDorado ELD, since it was not working as intended. 

Here’s the list of questions that the FMCSA would like drivers and stakeholders to comment on:

• Applicability to pre-2000 engines – “Many vehicles with pre-2000 engines and most vehicles with rebuilt pre-2000 engines have engine control modules (ECMs) installed that could accommodate an ELD. “Should FMCSA re-evaluate or modify the applicability of the current ELD regulation for rebuilt or remanufactured CMV engines or glider kits?”
• Addressing ELD malfunctions – “Should FMCSA amend carrier and driver responsibilities in § 395.34 to clarify when a driver must switch to paper logs?”
• The process for removing ELD products from FMCSA’s list of certified devices – “If an ELD provider goes out of business and fails to self-revoke, should FMCSA be able to immediately remove the device from the registered ELD list?”
• Technical specifications – “Should FMCSA consider allowing a driver, rather than the motor carrier, to change his or her ELD configuration to an exempt status to help reduce the administrative burden noted by the industry?”
• ELD certification – “Should FMCSA establish a certification process for ELDs? If so, what should a certification process consist of?”

You can leave your personal comment by following the link to the FMCSA website.

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