ELD Mandate: What You Need to Know

Operating in heavily-regulated sectors can be tricky.

You just never know when a committee is going to propose a bill, what lawmakers are going to suggest, or even how the latest news headlines can affect legislative decisions.

A fairly recent example of how legislative changes can have far-reaching effects is the ELD mandate that gives companies until December 2017 to implement.

What is the ELD Mandate?

The story begins in 2012 when the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Bill, or MAP-21 for short, made its way through the United States Congress and was eventually passed.

One of the more notable changes in the trucking and transportation industry that this hefty piece of legislation produced, was a requirement that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration require fleets to use an electronic log device, or ELD, to document the driver's Record of Duty Status.

Why is the ELD Mandate So Important?

The total impact of the ELD mandate might not be fully accounted for until after the changes have been implemented and examined across the industry. However, there are a few details we're seeing already that illustrate the importance of the ELD mandate.

1. Many accidents occur when truck drivers are driving for long periods of time.

   The ELD logistically ensures that drivers are in compliance with Hours of Service requirements and expectations automatically. This is important from the standpoint of enforcing safety regulations.

2. The mandate is important because it ensures better and more accurate record-keeping with ELDs. This not only provides honest insight as to whether or not the truck is in motion, but follows standardized formatting and driver login regulations among the other requirements and expectations surrounding the electronic log devices.

Does the New Law Impact You?

Regardless of the size of your fleet, as long as you’re filing a Record of Duty Status, you will indeed need an ELD. Fleets of all sizes are realizing improvements in their trucking operations.

Many organizations who will be affected by the December 17 ELD compliance deadline have been putting this off. The procrastination occurs in hopes that this mandate will be rescinded by the federal government. However, the scramble lies in finding the solutions that are needed to become federal compliant.

What are the Benefits of the ELD?

• Save money with the company and no longer purchase paper logbooks each year.
• Insurance savings and reduction of liabilities make becoming ELD compliant much more cost effective than you realize. Engaging a firm with comprehensive mandate experience is equally important.
• Add hours up correctly without having to worry about inaccurate records or logbooks with hours that aren't adding up.
• ELDs will update records down to the minute with efficiency that's not really possible with paper-based models.
• When they aren't stopping to mark information down into their logbooks, drivers are able to squeeze a few more miles out of the day with ELDs. ELD Compliance will also help to reduce idling time and thereby reduce fuel wastage.
• Vehicle Diagnostics-ELD is automatically connected to the vehicle’s diagnostic port. This allows the device to actively monitor fault codes. As a result, you are always ahead of any vehicle maintenance issues with real-time alerts and detailed reports.
• There is better location tracking and more efficient route management since fleet managers can easily track where each vehicle is. Gone are the days where you have to call drivers each time you want to get an update. Additionally, through GPS tracking — along with breadcrumb trails and location history — fleet managers and drivers can plan out the shortest routes.

Conclusion

Due to the ELD mandate, your electronic logging device has to meet certain standards or you may very well end up on the wrong side of the law.

The language used in the ELD mandate can be hard to understand if you're not familiar with regulations as they relate to 21st century technology.

But, we're here to help!

Between our extensive experience with electronic logging devices and our knowledge of the ELD mandate, we'll guarantee that you’re compliant in no time.

Contact us for your complimentary consultation.