New OOIDA-led coalition looks to revive ELD mandate delay

The coalition, whose members represent industries that would be impacted by the mandate, says implementation of the FMCSA’s electronic logging device requirements should be delayed until various unresolved issues identified by stakeholders are addressed.    A newly formed coalition made up of trade associations from across a diverse group of industries is asking for a delay in the implementation of a federal regulation requiring commercial trucks to be equipped with electronic logging devices. 
   The group, whose membership is made up of 31 organizations, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), said on Sept. 27 that it supports a bill proposed by U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, that would postpone the ELD mandate for 24 months.
   Babin’s bill, the ELD Extension Act of 2017 (H.R. 3282), would extend the current implementation date from December 2017 to December 2019. 
   “The electronic logging device mandate is written so broadly that it has far reaching implications well beyond the traditional trucking industry,” OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer remarked.
   The coalition, whose members represent industries including agriculture, pyrotechnics, utility contractors, livestock and others that would be impacted by the mandate, has said that the implementation should be delayed until the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) addresses numerous unresolved issues identified by stakeholders, including the certification of devices, connectivity problems in remote areas of the country, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and law enforcement’s ability to access data.
   The FMCSA’s inability or refusal to resolve these issues makes the enactment of H.R. 3282 a necessity, according to coalition members.
   “This is a massive unfunded mandate that provides no safety, economic, or productivity benefits for most ensnared by the mandate,” the coalition said of the estimated $2 billion cost of the regulation.
   “Notwithstanding the significant costs associated with the rule, it simply will not be ready for implementation on Dec. 18. H.R. 3282 will provide FMCSA and impacted stakeholders more time to work out fundamental problems associated with the rule,” the group added.
   OOIDA has long contended that requiring electronic monitoring devices on commercial vehicles does not advance safety since those devices are “no more reliable than paper logbooks” when it comes to recording compliance with hours-of-service regulations.
   The members of the coalition backing H.R. 3282 are listed below:
     • Agricultural Retailers Association
     • American Pipeline Contractors Association
     • American Pyrotechnics Association
     • Associated Equipment Distributors
     • Distribution Contractors Association
     • Livestock Exporters Association of the USA
     • Lucas Oil Products
     • Mid-West Truckers Association
     • National Association of Chemical Distributors
     • National Association of Small Trucking Companies
     • National Aquaculture Association
     • National Corn Growers Association
     • National Cotton Council
     • National Electrical Contractors Association
     • National Federation of Independent Business
     • National Grain and Feed Association
     • National Ground Water Association
     • National Hay Association
     • National Motorists Association
     • National Precast Concrete Association
     • National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
     • National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association
     • New England Fuel Institute
     • North American Wood Pole Council
     • Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
     • Petroleum Marketers Association of America
     • Power & Communication Contractors Association
     • Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute
     • SikhsPAC
     • Southern Pressure Treaters’ Association
     • United States Cattlemen’s Association
   Correction: A previous version of this story was inaccurate in saying that Babin’s bill, the ELD Extension Act of 2017 (H.R. 3282), was rejected by the House of Representatives earlier this month. Although this particular bill was not rejected by the House, an amendment introduced by Babin that would have delayed the ELD mandate had been rejected in the House earlier this month.