A panel at 2017 FTR Transportation Conference concludes trouble is ahead for late adopters of electronic logging devices (ELDs).<\/p>\n
With legal challenges and legislative attempts at a rollback having run their course, the \u201cwait-and-see\u201d uncertainty about the Dec. 18 implementation date is finally past, explained carrier safety consultant and former Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator, Annette Sandberg.<\/p>\n
But those who have held out, Fleet owner reports Sandberg as saying, will have to scramble to become ELD compliant\u2014and that includes \u201cquite a few\u201d large fleets who rely on owner-operators.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to start to see a lot of activity in this area. I\u2019m getting a lot of questions from carriers about how to implement quickly, what vendors to pick,\u201d Sandberg said.<\/p>\n
She is also concerned the self-certification process for ELD venders has allowed some non-compliant devices into the marketplace.<\/p>\n
Sandberg also noted that some uncertainty in the market as to whether a sufficient number of devices will be available to meet the demand over the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Still, worries that the implementation of the mandate will immediately cause service disruptions in the supply chain are unfounded, she explained. For starters, enforcement of the regulation will be phased in<\/a>, as the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) recently announced, and non-compliant trucks will not be placed out of service until April 2018, giving carriers additional time for the transition.<\/p>\n In addition to the regulatory requirement, shippers and brokers are increasingly demanding ELD compliance from their carriers. Panelist Ron Guzzi, senior manager of carrier relations for Home Depot, said the company\u2019s asset-based fleets are compliant \u201cin 97- 98% range.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe consider ourselves to be an asset-based shipper, so we do very little with brokerage. This is part of the reason. We don\u2019t feel there\u2019s a direct impact to us, because we deal with the right carriers,\u201d Guzzi said. \u201cWe\u2019re also wise enough to know that when the industry is forced to have ELDs, it\u2019s going to have an impact on utilization and lead to increased rates over the next six months. But our carriers are already there and I think we\u2019re already paying for their adjusted utilization from when they made the changes.\u201d<\/p>\n