Operators still have questions about ELD malfunctions

By Susan Moeser

ASHBURN, Va. — With just days left before the federal electronic logging device (ELD) mandate took effect, attendees at the UMA Safety Management Seminar still had plenty of questions about the devices for representatives of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

LaTonya Mimms

Operators that already had installed ELDs were seeking information on their use – and on problems that inevitably arise when adopting new technology.

Many participants in the safety seminar, held just under two weeks before the ELD mandate’s December 18 effective date, wanted to know what to do in the case of ELD malfunction.

Almost half of the 129 attendees raised their hands when LaTonya Mimms, transportation specialist with FMCSA’s enforcement division, asked who had regularly experienced ELD malfunction issues.

Dan Neff, general manager of VIP Sports Getaway in Tye, Texas, expressed his frustration with the issue of ELD malfunctions.

“Nextraq is our third FMCSA approved company for our ELDS, and they are not local,” Neff said. “I can’t afford to have a bus down for eight days,” he said, referring to the eight-day period FMCSA gives companies to fix ELD problems.

“We’re a small company of 10 buses. That will really hurt us. We have called installers to fix ELD problems, and they have said they don’t know what’s going on and they will be back in two weeks.”

Mimms said that if an ELD cannot be fixed within eight days, companies can apply for an extension.

When a malfunction does occur, the driver must provide written notice to the motor carrier within 24 hours. This may be an electronic message, such as an email and/or a fleet management systems message.

“We strongly encourage you to report ELD vendors to us if the ELD keeps malfunctioning,” Mimms said. “Self-certified and registered are the only ones you can report.”

Questions regarding ELDs can be sent to eld@dot.gov and information can be found at: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hours-service/elds/elcetronic-logging-devices.

During the safety seminar, Matt Daecher, president of Daecher Consulting Group, and Keith Johnson, safety and training manager for Reston Limousine, gave a presentation on ELDs and driver fatigue.

They said ELDs don’t change hours of service regulations, just how they are recorded.

“Drivers come to work tired and they don’t manage their fatigue,” Johnson said. “We don’t provide enough education to our drivers on what to eat, how much to sleep or how to prepare for a poor sleep environment.”

He recommended training drivers using the North American Fatigue Management Program. It is a free, interactive, Web-based educational and training program developed to teach about factors contributing to fatigue and their impact on performance. Their program can be accessed at: www.nafmp.org.

Daecher told seminar participants that with the ELD mandate comes issues of managing electronic data. An ELD’s primary use is to monitor HOS regulations, but it may also collect secondary data such as HOS violations, unassigned miles, idling, engine/vehicle faults and driving exceptions such as speeding, hard brakes and quick starts.

Companies must be prepared to manage primary and secondary electronic data collected by ELDs. They must understand the technology and data generated, address where the data is kept and for how long, determine who has access to the data and have a plan for what should be done with the data.

“Make sure someone is specifically assigned to monitor electronic data daily,” Daecher said. “It should be a responsibility and a job description. If you let it go for three or four days, it’s a missed opportunity for risk management.”

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