OOIDA Seeks to Exempt ‘Small-Business Truckers’ from ELD Rule
Photo: FMCSA
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Photo: FMCSA
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With the new electronic logging device mandate set to take effect in less than four weeks, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to issue a temporary but lengthy exemption to the new safety rule for “small-business truckers.”
The petition seeks an exemption from the ELD rule of “no less than five years” (and subject to renewal upon application) for any carrier considered to be “a small transportation trucking business” as defined by the Small Business Administration and “can document a proven history of safety performance with no attributable at-fault crashes” and that do not have a Carrier Safety Rating of “Unsatisfactory.”
OOIDA further stated in its request that the exemption would “not have any adverse impacts on operational safety, as motor carriers and drivers would remain subject to the HOS regulations… as well as the requirements to maintain a paper record of duty status… The exemption would also allow small-business motor carriers to maintain their current practices that have resulted in a proven safety record.”
Todd Spencer, executive vice president of OOIDA, got to the crux of why the group is seeking the exemption in a statement, saying that “Small-business truckers that have already proven their ability to operate safely should not be subject to purchasing costly, unproven and uncertified [electronic logging] devices.”
In the request, filed with FMCSA on Nov. 21, the self-certification of ELD vendors is discussed as a key issue for OOIA: “FMCSA has stated that they do not know if the self-certified ELDs listed on their website fulfill regulatory requirements in the mandate. At present, none of the 193 devices listed have been validated by the agency or any unbiased, third-party testing program.”
“Most small-business motor carriers can ill afford to make these purchases only to learn later …Read the rest of this story
