As of Dec. 17, most motor carriers are required by federal law to use electronic logging devices, or ELDs, to track truck driver hours of service. Whether you’ve waited until the last minute to flip the switch or you’re already running ELDs, here are some things you need to keep in mind to avoid citations, bad CSA scores, or unsatisfactory safety ratings.
Time is almost finally up: All motor carriers and truck drivers subject to the electronic logging device rule must use an electronic logging device starting on Dec. 17. Don't expect any "soft enforcement."
A special downloadable supplement by the editorial staff of Heavy Duty Trucking magazine, "ELDs: The Final Countdown," offers in-depth information on managing the ELD-to-AOBRD transition and getting the most out of electronic logging devices.
Whether your fleet is already running ELDs or waiting till closer to the December deadline, there are important things your drivers need to know to make roadside inspections go as smoothly and as quickly as possible — and avoid citations.
For regulated fleets that are currently using AOBRDs, the transition to an ELD is a big, necessary step that shouldn’t be taken lightly. There are the four steps you need to take to successfully make the transition.
When it comes to electronic logs, what happens during a roadside inspection? Get some insight from this CVSA video outlining what inspectors need to do at roadside when checking driver hours of service records on AOBRD or ELD systems.
When it comes to managing electronic logging devices in the back office, “Obviously, the big thing is to monitor for violations,” according to Annette Sandberg, CEO of TransSafe Consulting and a former administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
With active enforcement of the ELD mandate in effect across the country, it is critical that drivers understand what is expected of them in a roadside inspection.
Now that the April 1 "hard enforcement" deadline has passed on the electronic logging device mandate, property-carrying commercial motor vehicle drivers operating their vehicle without a required registered electronic logging device or a grandfathered automatic on-board recording device will be placed out of service for 10 hours, according to CVSA.
Although the electronic logging device mandate went into effect in December, the full-enforcement of the rule – and all of its penalties – is fast approaching on April 1.