Congress Discusses Delaying the ELD Mandate

It's About Time

Congress finally sat down to discuss the ELD mandate.  

The House Appropriations Committee released a report late Monday night, essentially admitting what we in the Owner Operator community have long known:  That the mandate will disproportionately hurt smaller carriers and owner operators. 

They acknowledged that small and independent truckers are "the backbone" of the trucking industry, and the ELD law is a heavy burden on them.  

While acknowledging that they are concerned with the safety of truckers and the general public, they also pointed out the following:

- Implementation of ELD's will cost $2,000,000,000, and larger carriers will be able to absorb those costs.  The little guys will spend a lot of money installing ELD's, and in return receive no compensation. 

- There are a whole lot of technical concerns still remaining.... such as certification of devices, whether or not law enforcement will be allowed to access the data, cyber attacks, and connection issues in rural areas.  There is no guarantee these concerns will be addressed before the December deadline. 

- Livestock and agricultural carriers, who operate under complex HOS rules, will have a hard time implementing the technology into their already-complex world.  

As a result, the Committee instructed the DOT to see if a full or targeted delay is appropriate, and if so, what they can legally do to delay the ruling until all of this can get sorted out. 

To read a full text of the Committee's report, click here. 

The FMCSA has 60 days to get back to them.  In the meantime, they will continue their summer tour to educate truckers on ELD implementation.

What will the FMCSA conclude after their 60 day review process?  That's anyone's guess... 

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