FMCSA looking at ELD exemption for small carriers

Legislation also proposed could relieve up to 90 percent of the trucking industry from the logging device mandate.    The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is seeking comments on the Small Business in Transportation Coalition’s (SBTC) request for an exemption from the electronic logging device requirements for all motor carriers with fewer than 50 employees.
   This includes, but is not limited to, one-person private and for-hire owner-operators of commercial motor vehicles used in interstate commerce.
   In a notice published in the Federal Register Tuesday, the FMCSA said comments must be received on or before July 5.
   “SBTC believes that the exemption would not have any adverse impacts on operational safety as motor carriers and drivers would remain subject to the hours-of-service regulations as well as the requirements to maintain paper RODS,” the FMCSA said in the notice.
   If granted, the term of the requested exemption would be for five years, subject to renewal upon application.
   SBTC submitted its revised application Feb. 1, after the FMCSA in January said the nonprofit trade organization’s request submitted in November was incomplete.
   The SBTC also expressed support for legislation introduced in the House on May 23 that would exempt motor carriers that own or operate 10 or less commercial vehicles from the ELD mandate.
   The Small Carrier Electronic Logging Device Exemption Act of 2018 (H.R. 5948) is sponsored by Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn. Co-sponsors are Reps. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., and Steve King, R-Iowa.
   The SBTC said H.R. 5948 would relieve up to 90 percent of the trucking industry from the ELD mandate.
   “It is no secret that the real purpose of the ELD mandate is to attack small business carriers by ‘driving’ up their costs, costs that can easily be absorbed by the large and mega carriers but are burdensome on the smallest businesses,” SBTC President James Lamb said.