More ELD Murkiness
If you’re toying with not buying an electronic logging device and just taking your chances, for the first few months, you won’t be put out of service and violations won’t count against you. But, the answer on whether you will get a ticket isn’t as clear.
The FMCSA hosted an electronic logging device update for the media on Monday to answer questions about the pending mandate that goes into effect Dec. 18.
In an effort to clear up some of the confusion around the upcoming ELD mandate, the FMCSA updated reporters on several issues including enforcement, personal conveyance rules and rules for agricultural haulers.
With regard to enforcement, Joe DeLorenzo, director of the agency’s office of compliance and enforcement, said drivers could still be cited for not having an ELD after Dec. 18, but it won’t put them out of service and won’t count in the Compliance Safety Accountability program’s safety measurement system. That all will begin on April 1 of next year. He says whether or not a state issues a ticket will be up to the state itself.
He stressed that the December to April timeframe is one to assist drivers in coming into compliance with the regulations.
As for the personal conveyance issue, DeLorenzo said the agency plans to publish a guidance to address that as well as issues faced by agricultural haulers in the next couple of weeks. The agriculture haulers will get a 90-day waiver from the mandate to give the agency more time to consider an exemption request filed earlier this year.
