The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has slightly liberalized its stance on the use automatic on-board recording devices by some fleets that are using those devices under the terms of the AOBRD grandfather clause within the electronic logging device rule.

Per new guidance issued earlier this month by the agency, a motor carrier that had installed and required its drivers to use an AOBRD before Dec. 18, 2017 may now install and use a new “ELD-capable device that runs compliant AOBRD software” until Dec. 15, 2019. That latter date is the one on which the AOBRD grandfather clause expires.

FMCSA’s new, more flexible position on fleets allowed to use AOBRDs during the grandfather period does not negate the requirement that any new AOBRD installed must be able to be updated for mandate compliance by Dec. 16, 2019, noted ELD supplier J.J. Keller & Associates in a news release.

“To be fully informed consumers, motor carriers with AOBRDs need to ask their current device supplier if their equipment can in fact be updated over-the-air to be ELD mandate compliant,” said Tom Reader, director of marketing for ELDs at J. J. Keller. “A motor carrier may have older AOBRDs that are compliant now, but that older equipment may not be able to be updated as required in December 2019.

“Our devices, currently operating as AOBRDs today, can be updated to mandate-compliant ELDs as needed,” added Reader. “Every one of our AOBRD customers will be able to perform the update.”