When it was announced earlier this month that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrationâs proposed rule regarding electronic logging devices (ELD) had been finalized and approved, most of the trucking industryâs initial reaction leaned toward implementation.
Under the guidelines outlined in the new rule, Truck Parts & Serviceâs sister publication Overdrive wrote drivers using an e-log device will no longer be required to maintain paper logs âbut will be required maintain supporting documentation and submit them to their carrier or, for owner-operators, keep them on file.â
Set for a Dec. 16, 2017, rollout dateâtwo years from last weekâs official rule publicationâFMCSA claims the ELD mandate will save the trucking industry nearly a $1 billion a year from time and money savings due to less paperwork.
But while the mandate is expansive it is not all-encompassing. FMCSA says the mandate has exemptions for drivers who keep records of duty status in 8 or fewer days out of every 30 working days, drivers in drive-away and tow-away operations, and truckers operating vehicles older than model year 2000.
The latter sounds like good news for the aftermarket.
In spite of FMCSAâs $1 billion suggested savings, few small fleets and owner-operators on the road today are fans of electronic logs. Most actively detest them.
Their reasons for such distaste are commonly rooted in two areas: cost and perceived legality.
