Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/716013
34 commercial carrier journal | august 2016 I n April, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published a 440-page document that contains specific instructions and step-by- step procedures for testing electronic log- ging devices. The document is supposed to help ELD manufacturers register and self-certify their products with the tech- nical standards of the agency's ELD rule that went into effect in December 2015. Enforcement is set to begin Dec. 18, 2017, and after this deadline, the majority of carriers and truck drivers – with some exceptions, such as those operating a pre- 2000 model-year truck – will be required to use "certified" ELD devices from the agency's online registry. Getting listed on the registry is a mar- keting opportunity for ELD suppliers, especially those that are relatively new and unknown in the industry. However, the registration and self-certification process is raising some eyebrows. Currently, five ELD suppliers and their products are listed on the registry, but neither FMCSA nor any independent technology third party have conducted tests to verify the devices meet the requirements in the 440-page document. One requirement is that ELDs can transfer a raw data file to an external application called Electronic Record of Duty Status (ERODS). The ERODS application currently is being developed by FMCSA and may not be available for testing until late 2017, said Elise Chianelli, director of safety and compliance for PeopleNet. According to the ELD rule, the file transfer must use wireless or local methods to help make roadside inspections more efficient and accurate for law officers. Rather than looking at a driver's ELD display, of- ficers will use ERODS to audit a driver's hours-of-service data and quickly detect any violations in their current eight-day duty cycle. Being listed on the ELD registry without having verified the capability to transfer files to ERODS raises "a lot of questions," Chianelli said. Tom Cuthbertson, vice president of regulatory compliance for Omnitracs, agrees that suppliers should have to comply with this and other ELD requirements before they are listed on the registry. Like many suppliers, Omnitracs has AOBRD-compliant (Automatic On-Board Recording Device) applications for in-cab and mobile platforms as it works on adding new features to its products to offer a fully compliant ELD version. Because of the delay from ERODS, "it's going to take some time" for Omnitracs to register and self-certify its ELD products, Cuthbertson said. "There is quite a bit of work to do to make sure we vet out our product properly." FMCSA has started to reach out to several providers listed on the registry to con- duct additional vetting. During an online listening session with ELD manufacturers, a FMCSA spokesperson said the certification of ELD products can be challenged. After reviewing a challenge, the agency would remove a product from the registry if needed and give the manufacturer 30 days to respond, Cuthbertson said. FMCSA also raised the possibility that if manufacturers do not reconcile a challenge within 30 days, the manufacturer would have to be vetted by an independent third party to ensure their product meets the ELD test requirements in the 440-page docu- ment before they can be re-listed, he said. Both Chianelli and Cuthbertson agreed that fleets that currently use AOBRDs BUSINESS CARD: Getting listed on FMCSA's registry is a marketing opportunity for ELD suppliers. WHO'S CHECKING?: The registra- tion and self-certification process is raising some eyebrows. BACKGROUND CHECK: Suppliers should have to comply with numer- ous ELD requirements. Vetting of ELDs Questions arise from FMCSA's 'self-certification' process The new ELD rule requires that all unassigned drive time be present- ed to drivers during the ELD login process. The driver has the first right to reconcile these events.