Trucking industry logs problems with device mandate

An OOIDA Foundation survey found parking problems across the nation, safety issues and cost concerns.    The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s electronic logging device mandate appears to be causing problems across the trucking industry, according to data from the OOIDA Foundation.
   The ELD rule technically kicked into gear on Dec. 18, but it was not until April 1 that noncompliant drivers could be placed out of service. However, compliant automatic onboarding recording devices installed prior to Dec. 18 are allowed to be used through Dec. 16, 2019.
   Designed as a replacement for traditional logbooks, an ELD synchronizes with a vehicle engine to automatically record driving time. The ELD mandate does not change hours-of-service regulations, but the FMCSA has argued that the devices provide for an easier, more accurate HOS recording because drivers cannot falsify driving time if it’s being recorded by a device.
   The OOIDA Foundation, an affiliate of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), surveyed members about ELDs to assess the impacts that the mandate is having on the association’s members and other truckers.
   Although the OOIDA is taking responses through next Monday, some preliminary results are available, and Andrew King, research analyst at the OOIDA Foundation, discussed those on “Land Line Now” Monday.
   Preliminary results revealed that the ELD mandate is causing truck parking problems across the nation, spurring safety issues and creating a cost concern, he said.
    King said drivers now are stopping before they need to in order to find safe parking and ensure they take their mandatory 30-minute rest breaks, which are tracked by the device.
   “Heaven forbid you start a minute earlier. You have to have that whole 30 minutes,” King said.
   A lot of truck stops now are charging for parking spots, King said.
   Maggie Turner, national account manager of third-party logistics provider AFN, told American Shipper in June that truck parking is a huge issue in America right now — and not just in major cities. She said truckers are getting parking tickets because they are having to park in unauthorized areas.
   Preliminary results from the OOIDA Foundation’s survey show that 89 percent of drivers said the problem of truck parking has increased because of the mandate; 79 percent said they have been forced to park in unsecured locations; and 91 percent said they felt forced to park earlier than they wanted.
   King also said that compliance and safety do not go together, pointing out that the preliminary results from the survey found that 77 percent of respondents said the mandate decreases safety. The mandate is making drivers more anxious, more conscious of their time and even causing them to drive faster, he asserted.
   The findings also showed that cost was the top factor when it came to buying an ELD. For drivers who are leased onto a carrier, 76 percent were restricted to what type of ELD they could use, and another 44 percent were forced to purchase them themselves. A lot of the ELD devices call for contracts, which he said could cause an issue for drivers if they go to another carrier that is not using that device.