Enforcement of the federal electronic logging device mandate is progressing, and regulators are working to finalize a proposal to add flexibility to driver hours-of-service rules, said Joe DeLorenzo, acting associate administrator for enforcement at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
According to Transport Topics, DeLorenzo said in a panel discussion at the Omnitracs’ Outlook 2020 user conference that ELD enforcement data indicates that law enforcement officers are becoming more comfortable with the technology and the data transfer process.
The ELD mandate, which took full effect in December, requires most longhaul truck drivers to record their HOS information with ELDs rather than paper logbooks.
Violations for exceeding daily and weekly HOS limits have dropped to about half of what they were prior to ELD implementation, DeLorenzo said.
He also cited an “interesting curve” in violations for driver log falsification.
“We had a large dip in violations for falsification,” he said. “But as officers got comfortable with it, that level of violations per inspection for false records is higher than it’s ever been before, which means now law enforcement has figured out what the tricks are, and how easy it is to find the falsifications.”
DeLorenzo said that learning process should continue over the course of the year.
“We need this next six or 12 months to really solidify that learning, get everybody used to it, and the more we can get data transfer done, that’s better for everybody,” he said.
Driver knowledge plays a very important role in making ELD inspections go smoothly, added Kerri Wirachowsky, director of the roadside inspection program at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
“Ensure your drivers are trained on how to use the device,” she said.
As trucking companies and law enforcement in the United States continue to adapt to the ELD rule, Canada is preparing to implement its own ELD mandate in June 2021.
Unlike the United States, which has relied on ELD vendors to self-certify their own devices, Canada is requiring all ELDs to be independently certified by third parties.
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