LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As the requirement to transition to electronic logging devices fast approaches, federal trucking regulators explained to truckers the steps to take in the event their devices malfunction.
“They’re all computers, right? And what [do] our computers do, they malfunction,” Danielle Smith, transportation specialist with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s passenger carrier division, said March 24 at the Mid-America Trucking Show. “So with the ELDs, yes, we’re going to see there’s going to be some malfunctions.”
Smith emphasized that when an ELD malfunctions, a driver needs to provide the motor carrier a written notice about the issue within 24 hours.
Smith continued to go over the ELD rules, which are found on FMCSA’s website. Other steps drivers need to take include reconstructing record of duty status, and to continue annotating their record of duty status until the ELD is restored and in compliance. Carriers are tasked with repairing or replacing the malfunctioning ELD within eight days of learning about it, according to the rule.
The ELD rule, meant to address driver fatigue and minimize paperwork, takes effect Dec. 18. The agency indicated the rule is designed to improve compliance with hours-of-service rules.
