The Department of Transportation (DOT) has placed a 90-day delay on the implementation of electronic logging devices (ELD) for agriculture commodities.
The announcement was made by DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) at a briefing on Nov. 20. FMCSA still plans to move forward with the ELD rule on Dec. 18, 2017. The 90-day waiver for agriculture commodities will begin on Dec. 18 in an effort for FMCSA to evaluate issues revolving around the hours of service requirements. The primary concern for agriculture has come from livestock haulers.
What are ELD’s?
ELDs are a record keeping device synchronized to a truck engine that logs information digitally. In real-time an ELD records data such as time spent on the road, miles driven, location and engine hours.
Who will this impact?
Most farmers should be exempt from the ELD mandate because they can claim covered farm vehicle (CFV) status. For those who cannot claim CFV status they will be able to take advantage of the 90-day waiver. DOT will be publishing additional guidance and official notice of the waiver in early December.
Are we still accepting comments?
Farm Bureau has developed sample comments that members can utilize in responding to DOT’s request for comment in response to our original petition. The comment period will be closing on November 30th. Members wishing to submit comments on the petition can utilize the following link: https://www.fb.org/advocacy/eld/
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