THE ELD MANDATE: REDUCED CRASH RISKS AND INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY

The proposed rule will ultimately reduce hours-of-service violations by making it more difficult for drivers to misrepresent their time on logbooks and avoid detection by FMCSA and  law enforcement personnel. Analysis shows it will also help reduce crashes by fatigued drivers and prevent approximately 20 fatalities and 434 injuries each year for an annual safety benefit of $394.8 million.

According to Tom Cuthbertson, VP of Regulatory and Compliance at Omnitracs, “Although there are additional benefits of ELD adoption, safety is the main driver of this regulation. Bottom line is ELDs will improve recording of Hours of Service, and will reduce violations, directly related to improving safety.”

The FMCSA published the final Electronic Logging Device (ELD) rule December 2015. Considering the mandate applies to over three million drivers on the road today, it’s important that the trucking industry as a whole knows how it will impact them. In its simplest form, an ELD is a device used to electronically and automatically collect RODS information needed for HOS requirement compliance, replacing paper log books.

The ELD Mandate includes technical and performance specifications that define exactly what an ELD must do, including: • Connect to a truck’s engine to record if a truck is in motion • Allow the driver to login and select On-duty, Off-duty, or On-Duty Not Driving • Automatically select drive segments based on vehicle movement • Graphically display RODS so a driver can quickly see their hours in a day • Provide data in a standardized format • Be capable of transmitting data to law enforcement in specifically defined ways • Be certified by a vendor stating the device meets technical specifications • Be listed on the FMCSA website with an accepted registration number• Connect to a truck’s engine to record if a truck is in motion • Allow the driver to login and select On-duty, Off-duty, or On-Duty Not Driving • Automatically select drive segments based on vehicle movement • Graphically display RODS so a driver can quickly see their hours in a day • Provide data in a standardized format • Be capable of transmitting data to law enforcement in specifically defined ways • Be certified by a vendor stating the device meets technical specifications • Be listed on the FMCSA website with an accepted registration number.

Henry J. Garcia

(This article was written by Henry Garcia, Chief Executive Officer of DPAccess (www.dpaccess.com) a single source provider of technology services. For more information, he can be reached at email: henry.j.garcia@dpaccess.com. He has over 30 years of experience working in the technology industries with worldwide organizations such as Western Union, General Dynamics, Sprint, GE, AT&T, XO, and Comcast. He has earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with a concentration in Advanced Networking* from University of Phoenix and graduated with honors.)