The transportation industry has been waiting a long time for the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Mandate ruling. Earlier this year, the ruling was expected to be made on September 30th, only to be pushed back to October 30th.
When October 30th passed with no ruling, some were left wondering if this was going to be pushed back yet again. However, many industry experts, including Dave Osiecki, Senior Vice President of Policy and Regulatory Affairs with the American Trucking Association (ATA), were confident the ruling would in fact be made before the end of the month.
A last major milestone needed for the ruling to become final is clearance through the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB). With this weekend’s news that the Prohibition of Coercion has cleared the OMB, the path is paved for the ELD Mandate ruling to clear OMB on November 20th and be published on November 30th.
What does this mean for fleets?
Drivers that currently keep paper Hours of Service (HOS) logs will have two years from the publication of the rule to move to electronic logging. This sweeping change may be cause for concern for some in the industry who are averse to change. However, resources do exist to provide guidance on achieving benefits beyond compliance, including this buying guide, which helps fleets know what to look for when selecting an ELD.
In addition, feel free to explore eldfacts.com, an important industry resource that can help you keep up to date on the latest information in regard to the ELD Mandate.