Electronic Logging Devices

As of February 16th, 2016, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued their final Electronic Logging Device (ELD) rule. This ELD Final Rule eliminates the use of paper and pencil to verify logs. According to Anthony Foxx, U.S. Transportation Secretary, “This automated technology not only brings logging records into the modern age, it also allows roadside safety inspectors to unmask violations of Federal Law that put lives at risk.” In fact, this final ELD Rule will save an estimated 26 lives and stop approximately 562 injuries from large commercial vehicle crashes.

The 4 main elements of the December 2015 ELD Rule are:

1. Commercial truck and bus drivers must switch to maintaining hours-of-service (HOS) electronically instead of maintaining paper logbooks. This rule must be adopted by December, 2017.
2. An end to commercial driver harassment resulting from data produced by ELDs.
3. A reduction of paperwork by establishing new HOS requirements. In many instances, motor carriers will no longer need to keep possession of supporting documents that verify drive time when on duty.
4. Requirements are established for ELDs that meet the FMCSA’s regulations.

Additionally, the ELD Rule accepts smartphones and other mobile wireless devices for use as ELDs, as long as they follow technical specifications for safety, are certified as approved, and the FMCSA lists on their website. For more detailed information about the ELD Rule, including an implementation timeline, along with carriers and drivers who are subject to the rule, visit the FMCSA website. Also learn about the ELD Compliance Test Procedure.

Here at AECS, we carry the most cutting-edge ELDs available on the market today. They passed the stringent requirements of the FMCSA. Visit our Products Page for the latest in FMCSA-compliant ELDs.

Additionally, in February of 2016, the FMCSA issued the ELD Final Rule, which states that many ELD owners will be required to dismount their devices from the cab and hand it over for inspections. However, the need to follow this rule is eliminated with the thermal printer built into our advanced VDO RoadLog ELD. The Final Rule states, “Where data transfer is not practical, the driver can still show enforcement compliance via a printout or the ELD display.”

This ELD Final Rule is complicated, and to ensure that your fleet is following the new FMCSA regulations, partner with AECS for compliance needs. Our experts are well versed in translating the FMSCA and CARB laws, and we are here to guide you to ensuring compliance. Contacts us today at 559-472-7301 for your consultation.