OOIDA: ELD mandate should be delayed while states get their act together

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association says it supports a delay to the electronic logging device mandate due to a growing number of reasons, including what it characterized as a lack of preparedness by state law enforcement agencies nationwide.    The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), a national trade group representing small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers, has filed a petition with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) supporting a proposed delay to an electric logging device (ELD) mandate for commercial drivers.
   The OOIDA says it supports a delay to the mandate due to a growing number of reasons, including what it said is a lack of preparedness by law enforcement agencies nationwide. The group’s petition, which was filed Aug. 29, also states that more than 20 U.S. states are years behind in adopting amendments and additions to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations into state law.
   Electric logging devices, or ELDs, synchronize with a vehicle’s engine to automatically record driving time, thereby generating what proponents say are easier, more accurate hours of service.
   However, the petition points out that more than half the states in the country (26) haven’t yet incorporated an electronic logging regulation into state law, and that they aren’t authorized to enforce the rule until they do so.
   Earlier this month, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance notified the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that its members will delay full enforcement of the ELD rule until April 1, 2018, despite the fact that the rule goes into effect this December.
   The OOIDA has said that “serious legal problems” arise with states attempting to enforce federal safety standards that have not been made part of state law.
   “We are concerned about numerous states issuing citations for the violation of non-existent state laws,” OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer said in a statement.
   “These are just examples of the monumental reasons this mandate is not ready for prime time,” Spencer explained. “Too many states are not ready to roll out the mandate and can’t possibly be ready by the Dec. 18 deadline.”