A last-ditch effort in the U.S. House to delay the Dec. 18 mandate on electronic logging devices for trucks was soundly defeated.
Transport Topics reports 67 Republicans, including Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, joined 179 Democrats to reject a proposal that would have denied funding in fiscal 2018 to enforce the rule on ELDs.
The proposal to delay the mandate was introduced by Texas Republican Rep. Brian Babin during the negotiations of a fiscal 2018 funding bill. It garnered 173 votes, including support from eight Democrats. That effort to delay the ELD mandate therefore appears to have died, effectively ending a legislative path that would alter the mandate.
“It’s too late in the game to be changing this rule. There are many companies who have invested in this technology,” Rep. Bruce Westerman, an Arkansas Republican, said on the floor.
The American Trucking Associations praised the rejection of Babin’s proposal.
“Congress has now voted a fourth time to move forward with electronic logging of the existing hours-of-service information required for decades,” ATA President Chris Spear said. “Make no mistake, the time for debate about electronic logging is over, and we’re pleased that Congress has rejected this ill-conceived effort to delay their implementation.”
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association was among the few groups campaigning on behalf of Babin’s proposal.