That question is one of many being asked by fleets as they parse through the requirements of the ELD rules. Most commercial drivers will need to be using ELDs by December 2017, but those that are already using devices compatible with older automatic on-board recording device (AOBRD) standards have until December 2019 to have ELD-compliant devices in trucks. The industry will be setting technology specifications detailing performance and design requirements for ELDs so that manufacturers are able to produce compliant devices and systems—and purchasers are enabled to make informed decisions. As of Feb. 16, manufacturers are now able to register and self-certify their ELD products, which will introduce a lot of new products into the marketplace, making it even more crucial for fleets and drivers to understand which technology they have—or could purchase—and how it works.
Back to the question at hand: Is your fleet exempt from the ELD requirements? Kirk Rhoades, an ELD specialist at GPS Insight, gave Fleet Equipment the answer in a recent webinar entitled “Your Fleet’s Plan for Becoming ELD Compliant.”
“There were three exceptions given,” Rhoades began. “The one that might most fleets is the short haul drivers, people who use the 100 air-mile or 150 air-mile radius exception. They are going to be exempt from the ELD mandate, unless those drivers exceed the short haul rules more than eight days in a 30-day period. If you have to produce logs on those days and it’s more than eight days in a 30 day period, you will be required to put an ELD in the vehicle. The next vehicle that’s exempt is the tow-away driver, people who transfer empty vehicles and piggy back multiple cars on one truck–they don’t actually own the vehicle, so they can’t be mandated to install them. The installation of an ELD is not required on any vehicle that’s older than the year 2000. If you have older vehicles, you are not required to put an ELD in that truck.
“There have been other companies seeking exemption from the rule, but they have all been denied so far,” Rhoades said.
There’s likely no way around it—the majority of today’s fleets are going to be impacted by the ELD rules and will need to put a solution in place. For more insight into the impact of the ELD regulations, tips for solution selection and how logging devices can integrate into other applications such as Driver-Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs), check out the on-demand webinar by clicking this link, registering for the webinar and then taking in all of Rhoades’s ELD expertise.
