Lawmakers established a new mandate that went into effect December 18, 2017. The new federal law requires machine transport carriers to fit their trucks with electronic logging devices (ELD). Freight companies, whether operating as an LTL or truckload linehaul service, must abide by this new mandate.

What Is an Electronic Logging Device?

Federal law requires an ELD on each carrier truck. The device syncs with the truck’s engine and records the total time and distance traveled. Many freight companies have embraced the new ELD rules, though several feel the implementation is bad for business.

ELDs make it more difficult for drivers to falsify their records. Some carriers pay their employees by the mile. Drivers for these carriers record their total driving hours and mileage on paper logs. ELDs eliminate this age-old practice, which is prone to fraud, especially when drivers are on the road beyond the 14-hour limit.

ELDs Promote Safety

ELDs may also save lives. It creates a safer work environment by preventing driver fatigue. Employers will now be unable to make drivers work overtime. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration estimates that ELDs will save an estimated 26 lives and prevent over 500 road injuries annually.

Trucking-related occupations accounted for roughly a quarter of all road fatalities in 2015. ELDs are certainly worth the implementation if it saves even one life.

From a cost standpoint, the FMCSA also estimated that the industry will save about $1 billion in overhead by eliminating paperwork.

Schedule Your Next Delivery with Confidence

We thought we might share with you some news going on in the industry. Machine Transport works with many carriers that have already complied and installed ELDs, or plan to do so. As an industry consumer, what do you think? Do you believe electronic logging devices create a fairer and more ethical work environment?

Connecting You with Federally-Compliant Carriers

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