Six Burning ELD Mandate Questions from Drivers

Here are six questions about the ELD Mandate that are most frequently asked by drivers.

1.       Will my truck shut down if I exceed hours?

Many drivers have asked the question about what will happen to their trucks if they exceed hours for whatever reason. If that happens, drivers will not be prohibited from operating the vehicle. An ELD is a technical device used to measure hours of service. The device is hooked to the electronic control module (ECM) to measure drive in odometer and miles. Measurement does not restrict driving or stop the vehicle.

2.       Do Hours of Service change with the ELD Mandate?

No. The ELD Mandate does not change any of the Hours of Service regulations. They remain as they were before and unless some other action happens by the FMCSA, those hours will remain the same. From what we see in the Canadian mandate, neither is modifying hours of service for Canadian drivers

3.       Will the ELD Mandate fix the shipper delays?

The ELD Mandate will help identify the shipper delays because you will have an accurate location of where you stopped driving and went to on-duty at the same location. The mandate won’t necessarily rectify it, but it will supply information to help. In the U.S., there have been studies from Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act that look at this problem that drivers have all the time.

4.       Can I move my truck less than 5 MPH / 8 KPH?

A key item drivers needs to be aware of with the ELD Mandate has to do with drive time. The way that ELDs are structured is that they measure motion hooked directly to the electronic  control module (ECM), drive time will be measured at a maximum of 5 MPH in the U.S. so as soon as a vehicle hits that, it will be in drive. In Canada, it will be the kilometer equivalent

Drivers have been asking about exceptions when they have to move their trucks from one parking space to another, for example. Can they just roll it forward? Will they still be able to move their truck below 8 KPH?

Technically, drivers can. But if a driver tries to move it for any distance less than 8 KPH, it will be noticeable on the log because of the location where they are on-duty.

5.       If the VIN shows 2000 MFG year or newer and the engine is older, is that exempt?

Some people put glider kits into older engines and into the body and onto the chassis of newer trucks for horsepower or torque. But the way the regulation is written, they only go by the VIN number on the chassis, so even if you have an older glider engine prior to the year 2000, if that chassis VIN number indicates the year 2000 or newer then that requires an ELD (even if the engine is older).

6.       Can Yard Moves be used – and can they be used anywhere?

Yes, they can can be used. Yard moves were put into the regulation to be measured only as on-duty and that won’t take away your drive time in the yard. However, yard moves are to be in private yards. Small fleets and owner-operators can go into ports, which are miles deep and those are secure, private accesses. Consignee and shipper yards are non-public access so Yard Moves are to be used as non-public access yards; not the truck stops.

With the regulation drawing closer, it pays to get comfortable with the rules now and start preparing. Fleets still on paper logs will have a harder time getting accustomed to the new rules so it is wise to start research on the regulation and the best ELD systems to purchase now. For more information about the ELD Mandate, visit eldfacts.ca.