ELD Mandate: Who’s Exempt?
By the end of the year, all required commercial fleet vehicles will need to have electronic logging devices installed. However, not all vehicles have to follow this mandate, as certain vehicles are exempt from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Dec. 16 deadline.
Learn more about the ELD mandate and find out which drivers are exempt.
What is the ELD Mandate?
The FMCSA is mandating that all required commercial vehicles use electronic logging devices by Dec. 16. This will allow law enforcement to easily review drivers’ hours of service and help ensure all drivers are following the HOS rules. It also lets fleet operations, or others who are monitoring the ELD’s data and output, to track when the engine is running, if the vehicle is moving, how many miles the driver has driven, and more.
The FMCSA rolled out the mandate in three phases. Phase 1, the awareness and transition phase, was from Feb. 16, 2016 through Dec. 18, 2017. The next phase, the phased-in compliance phase, was from Dec. 18, 2017 through Dec. 16, 2019. In this timeframe, those vehicles that had AOBRDs installed and in-use prior to Dec. 18, 2017 were allowed to keep using them. The final phase begins Dec. 16. This marks the date that all required vehicles need to have ELDs installed.
Who’s Exempt?
Not all commercial fleet vehicles are required to follow the ELD mandate. Those drivers and vehicles who are exempt, according to the FMCSA, include:
- Drivers who use short-haul, timecard exceptions.
- Drivers who only need to keep RODS for less than 8 days within a 30-day period.
- Drivers who are conducting a drive-away-tow-away operation, if the vehicle being driven is the commodity being delivered. A driver is also exempt if the vehicle being transported is a motorhome or recreational vehicle trailer.
- Drivers of vehicles manufactured before 2000.
To learn how RTA Fleet Management Software can help improve your fleet operation, contact us today to schedule a demo.