During a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on the White Houseโs infrastructure proposal, several lawmakers brought up the ELD mandate. Secretary Elaine Chaoโs response to calls by Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, to look into more flexible hours-of-service regulations remained neutral.
Babin told Chao that ELDs are โhurting the economyโ and that the mandate is โmaking our shared goal of rebuilding our infrastructure that much harder.โ The Texas representative called ELDs counterproductive as a result of inflexible enforcement of hours-of-service regulations. Babin said drivers are forced to drive during times of high congestion, inclement weather and when they are tired or fatigued.
Concerned about the issues surrounding the ELD mandate, Babin asked Chao if he can have her commitment to work with Congress to explore other options. She responded with โIโm very sympathetic to this issue.โ
Chao went on to explain that the Department of Transportation is โvery much constrained by the law.โ
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., shared Babinโs concerns, stating that โone size doesnโt fit allโ in regard to ELDs.
โHours of service is a problem,โ LaMalfa said. โWe need flexibility on this. We need flexibility that really works for the drivers and the people who are striving to do this and do it well.โ
