In December 2017, the transportation industry flipped when the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate was issued, leading to worried anticipation followed by a brief capacity crunch felt throughout the market. Because of this, many are curious if the same disruption will be seen this December as the final phase of the mandate goes fully into effect. So, what exactly is changing?
AOBRDs are a thing of the past. One piece of the final phase is the elimination of the Automatic On-Board Recording Devices and the need to fully switch to an ELD. AOBRDs were “grandfathered” in during the two-year grace period of the phase one mandates. What is the difference between the two? ELDs are “intrinsically integrated” into each trucks operations system where AOBRDs execute their capabilities most often through smart phone apps instead of plugging into the truck directly.
Something that many are not aware of is that this final phase not only includes all commercial used trucks, but any truck falling within class 3 to class 7. Within this range is everyone from the local utility contractor to Amazon delivery trucks. No matter what, any truck traveling further than 100 miles from their home terminal is required to have an ELD device integrated into the operating system. Drivers will be at risk of incurring fines if they do not have the proper equipment installed by the deadline. Additionally, all commercial motor vehicles that fall into this category will also be considered to have “no record of duty status” if stopped without a required ELD.
With this last piece of the mandate encompassing a significantly larger number of fleets than in 2017, it is possible that there will be a greater impact on capacity this time around. The largest and most notable difference is the lack of industry chatter around this final phase going into place. There was an almost market-wide panic when the roll out originally hit the news, but the coverage of this impending deadline is mild at best. The on-boarding of these new devices takes several weeks to implement correctly along with the personnel training that organizations will need to arrange. The countdown has begun with December 17 just a few weeks away. Only time will tell if the trucking industry takes the proper steps to prepare for these changes or if a true capacity crunch sets in.
For more on ELDs or transportation services, please reach out to a Logistics Consultant today through www.AxleLogistics.com .