With today marking four months since full enforcement of the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate, a number of truck drivers still say there are problems with ELDs in use and the federal Hours of Service (HOS) rules that are their foundation.

This has never been much of a honeymoon. After Fleetowner’s recent articles noted that large percentages of drivers and fleets don’t believe ELDs are good for the transportation industry or are making trucks safer, we got another big dose or three of feedback.

Despite the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) adjustment of more leeway in what can be counted as personal conveyance—a driving status that can allow a truck driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle outside of the HOS on-duty drive time constraints—scores of drivers say more must be done.

FMCSA helped with one big problem many truck drivers complained of: running out of available drive time while delivering or picking up a load and then [...]

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that starting on December 16, 2017, truck operators will be required to use electronic logging devices to record their duty status. This electronic logging device mandate was first published in the Federal Register in December of 2015, but the FMCSA opted to give operators and carriers time to comply.

Although drivers will not need to maintain paper logs after the mandate, supporting documentation will be required in order for their carriers to keep the records on file.

Why did the FMCSA pass this rule?

The FMCSA predicts that this new rule will save at least 26 lives and prevent 562 injuries in the industry every year. Due to the amount of time saved because of the decrease in paperwork, over $1 billion is expected to be saved [...]