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Courtesy of NAA:

December 18, 2017 was the implementation date for the Congressionally-mandated Electronic Logging Device (ELD) final rule. After this date, all vehicles and drivers that were previously required to fill out paper log books will be required to have either a grandfathered AOBRD (Automated On-Board Recording Device) or an ELD. No hours of service rules were changed because of the ELD rule.

The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) and its enforcement partners are fully prepared for the Dec. 18, 2017 implementation, and are committed to implement the ELD rule in a manner that improves safety without impeding commerce. FMCSA has trained its Federal Staff and State law enforcement partners, and fully tested the electronic data transfer process.

FMCSA has issued the following limited exemptions/waivers from the ELD requirements.  Several other waivers and exemptions are currently under consideration.

• A limited exemption to United Parcel Service from some of the technical requirements for which their portable ELD has an alternate means of compliance, allowing their business operations to remain efficient.
• A waiver was issued allowing drivers of rental trucks to operate without an ELD for up to 30 days for the next 3 months.  After that, an exemption has been issued to driver to operate without an ELD for 8 days or less.
• A limited 90-Day waiver from the ELD requirement for those transporting Agricultural Commodities, as defined in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, which includes livestock.

To ease the transition to ELDs, FMCSA’s partners at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance have previously announced a delay in placing non-ELD compliant vehicles out-of-service until April 1, 2018, which will allow continued time for carriers and law enforcement to adjust to the new technology. FMCSA has also announced that violations cited during the time period of December 18, 2017 through April 1, 2018 will not count against a carrier’s Safety Measurement System scores.