A trade group representing electrical contractors is seeking an exemption from the electronic logging device mandate for its members.
The National Electrical Contractors Association, which represents 4,000 members who install, repair and maintain the equipment for electrical utilities, says employees of these companies drive commercial utility vehicles as a secondary responsibility and not as a primary job duty. NECA adds that these workers spend most of their day doing other tasks related to their jobs and not driving.
The group states the operation of commercial vehicles by the line workers that would be covered under the exemption “is so limited that the ELD requirement is triggered infrequently,” according to the notice published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Wednesday in the Federal Register. Because of how rarely the ELD requirements would be triggered by its members, NECA says if the exemption is not granted, it would be “cumbersome” for its members to meet the costs of the ELD mandate.
If granted the exemption, the group says its commercial drivers would fully comply with hours-of-service requirements and keep paper logs when required.
