By Matt Sullivan, Marketing, DAT Solutions
Get ready to say goodbye to your paper logbook. After years of the FMCSA kicking the can, the ELD mandate is finally official. All drivers who are currently required to track their HOS (hours of service) with a paper log will have to start using electronic logs by Dec. 16, 2017.
We’ll be spending the next few weeks trying to figure out how all of this will affect owner-operators, and we’ll look for ways to help you ease the pain on your business. Here’s what we know so far:
The Good
· Trucks made before the year 2000 don’t have to have an ELD
· You don’t have to buy an ELD that tracks the truck in real time
· You don’t have to buy an ELD that has in-cab communication
· It’s illegal to use the ELD to harass drivers
· It’s illegal to pressure drivers into breaking HOS rules or other regulations
· You can use a phone or tablet to track your hours, BUT …
The Bad
· The phone or tablet has to connect to the truck’s engine, so you’ll probably still have to buy some hardware
· There’s a big list of hardware requirements that aren’t that clear yet
· Your logs might be paperless, but you’ll still have to keep up to 8 “supporting documents”
The Ugly
· All long-haul truckers will have to move over to e-logs and ELDs by Dec. 16, 2017
Check the Edge daily for more info on ELDs and e-logs
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Note: This article was adapted from DAT’s new TruckersEdge blog post. It was first published in December 29, 2015