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ELD Compliance Date Upheld by Federal Court of Appeals

If you marked the ELD compliance date on your calendar, there is no need to hit delete. You still need to ensure your trucks are equipped with ELD by December 2017.

On October 31, 2016, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals voted to keep the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA’s) ELD rule in place.

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This decision follows arguments made on September 13, 2016, by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) on behalf of two of their drivers. The lawsuit filed by the OOIDA in March 2016 attempted to overturn the ELD mandate. The lawsuit argued that their truckers’ 4th Amendment rights to privacy were violated by the rule. Secondly, the OOIDA claimed the rule doesn’t meet standards set by Congress. After these arguments were made, the court officially rejected both claims keeping the ELD compliance date intact.

According to CCJ Digital, the 7th circuit judges wrote that the rule “is not arbitrary or capricious, nor does it violate the 4th Amendment” in their final decision.

Get Prepared Before the ELD Compliance Date

Since the ELD compliance date is holding strong, your fleet needs to stay the course on finding the best ELD option to ensure compliance with the rule. Here are a few tips to get ELD ready.

1. Know the Rules

While the ELD rule requires implementing new technology to record Hours of Service (HOS), it does not change any of the current HOS rules. If any of your drivers are currently required to track HOS, then they will be subject to the ELD Mandate. Using ELD will make it even easier for your drivers to uphold the FMCSA’s Hours of Service Regulations.

2. Get Your Trucks Equipped

If your business will be affected, now is the time to start researching ELD solutions. December 2017, the ELD compliance date, will come before you know it. It’s recommended to select a system that allows your drivers to see available on-duty hours remaining, ensures DVIRs are completed, helps to prevent common violations, and provides additional safety benefits beyond compliance.

3. Educate Your Drivers

An important aspect of implementing ELD is how it will affect your drivers day-to-day. When implementing an ELD solution, it is absolutely critical to train drivers how to properly use the technology. Not only will they be using the new driver-facing application on a daily basis, they will need to be comfortable producing logs during roadside inspections. By selecting a customer service-oriented ELD provider like GPS Insight, your business will receive help and hands-on training every step of the way.

 

 

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