The electronic logging devices (ELD) mandate went into effect this week, an event the American Trucking Associations (ATA) believes is a step forward for the industry.
“Electronic logging devices have been legislated, promulgated and litigated – with Congress voting three times in the past five years in favor of this requirement and a federal court rejecting a challenge to the rule,” Chris Spear, ATA president and CEO, said. “The time has finally come to retire decades-old, burdensome paper logs that consume countless hours and are susceptible to fraud and put the safety of all motorists first. The benefits of this rule exceed the costs by more than $1 billion, making it a rule the ATA can firmly support and easily adopt. Today marks the start of a new era of safety and efficiency for our industry and we thank the champions in the Department of Transportation and Congress who have gotten us to this point.”
On Tuesday, some companies reported issues implementing the mandate. There were temporary software and server issues.
Companies using automatic onboard recording devices have been grandfathered into MAP-21, the bill establishing the mandate. Those companies will have until Dec. 16, 2019, to switch over to ELDs.