70 Answers to Top ELD Questions
To download a PDF of this supplment, click here.Chapter 1: ELD BASICS
The electronic logging device mandate, effective on Dec. 18, requires most carriers and drivers to convert from using paper logs or logging software to a registered ELD if they do not have an automatic on-board recording device in use. And those using AOBRDs prior to the mandate’s effective date will only be able to keep using them for two more years (until Dec. 16, 2019).
It’s a mandate that has led to a lot of questions, with the government continuing to clarify and tweak the regulation even as we went to press. We’ve endeavored to find answers to the most common questions that arise, starting with the basics.
1. What is an Electronic Logging Device?
An ELD is a recording device that records vehicle parameters through its synchronization to the vehicle’s engine. It also allows for entries related to a driver’s record of duty status (RODs) to show compliance with hours of service regulations.
2. How is an ELD different from e-logs currently in use?
The e-logs — either in the form of logging software or AOBRDs — that some fleets have been using do not meet the new technical specifications prepared by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that ELD providers must adhere to.
For example, under the 1988 rule enabling AOBRDs, they were not required to be able to present a graph grid of the driver’s daily duty status changes either on a display or on a printout. ELDs, however, must fully provide that capability. (For a table outlining the differences, see www.fmcsa.dot.gov/faq/what-are-differences-specs-1988-aobrd-rule-and-eld-rule )
“From a carrier perspective, they may not see a whole lot of difference depending on the system they’re using,” explains Joe DeLorenzo, director of the FMCSA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance. Some ELD providers may be able …Read the rest of this story
