The final Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate deadline set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is approaching on December 16, 2019. But the question one should ask, is your fleet ready?
The ELD final rule is a part of MAP-21, which went into effect in 2017. The rule was passed in a bid to ensure the safety of drivers by creating a safe environment and making it easier to track and manage their duty records.
The FMCSA has certain rules and regulations for the Hours of Service (HOS) that limits the number of hours a driver can drive in a single day. Usually, the number of hours is recorded manually and there is no transparency and often the hours of service limit is breached by the drivers. ELD Mandate makes it mandatory for fleet owners to equip their vehicles with an electronic logging device to record the duty hours, which aims to cut down on driver fatigue to reduce road accidents.
It is believed that driver fatigue is one of the major reasons for road accidents. As per the mandate, most of the commercial motor vehicles need to have an electronic logging device to keep track of the duty hours and analyses the driving pattern of the drivers. This will make it mandatory for drivers to follow the legal limit and help in analysing the vehicle, driving pattern and track the location of the vehicle and drivers. FMCSA strongly believes that this will help in creating a safe environment for drivers and it will reduce their load.
The final ELD rule was first published on December 16, 2015, by FMCSA and all vehicles must be ELD compliant by December 16, 2019.
As per the FMCSA, three groups are exempted from using ELDs.
The FMCSA has also extended the deadline for certain companies:
The FMCSA strongly believes that the ELD mandate will avoid thousands of road accidents annually and end up saving billions of dollars as paperwork expenses.
Finding an ELD can get tricky as there are plenty of vendors but not every vendor is 100% FMCSA compliant. TXT E Solutions provide ELD at a much reasonable price when compared to other vendors. Our module is simple. We do not offer a contract that binds you on a long-term basis. We have three different monthly subscription plans as per the requirement of your fleet.
TXT ELD is a fully embedded Hardwired Mobile Data Terminal Unit, which is connected directly to the Vehicle Engine Control Module unit. The technology helps in collecting the engine data along with the location through in-built GPS. This creates an automated log on vehicle motions, hours of service, location information, driving pattern, driver behaviour, system malfunctions, driver duty status etc.
The data generated through the device is 100% complaint to the ELD mandate. TXT ELD offers a complete solution with its hardware and software application by generating accurate real-time data for fleet companies.