Congressional hearing on ELDs sought

ELD-year-end

Saying the roll out of mandatory electronic logging devices on most trucks was flawed, a major trucking organization asked a House of Representatives committee to hold a hearing to consider possible problems.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association last week asked the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to hold an oversight hearing on the regulation that became effective Dec. 18. OOIDA said in a letter the committee should evaluate what it called “serious difficulties” some truckers are having with ELDs.

This is the latest in a series of requests by OOIDA that the federal government reevaluate the ELD mandate. The organization has challenged the mandate in court, even unsuccessfully asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its case. OOIDA has also asked for a sweeping exemption from the mandate for small trucking businesses with clean safety records. That request is still pending.

OOIDA says their request for the oversight hearing is based on “mounting issues” with the mandate, including:

  • malfunctioning devices
  • questions about FMCSA’s self-certified registry of ELD suppliers
  • the mandate’s impact on truck parking
In the letter signed by Acting President Todd Spencer, the organization said:
“Prior to the $2 billion mandate taking effect in December 2017, OOIDA and over 30 other industries impacted by the rule shared serious concerns with you that the (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), law enforcement and the regulated community were not prepared for implementation. These concerns have been validated, as FMCSA has granted a patchwork of temporary waivers, exemptions, and “soft enforcement” deadlines that have only caused more confusion across the country.”