During yesterday’s Southern Regional Road Show event in Birmingham, AL, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration field administrator, Jon Dierberger, announced that electronic logging device violations would not affect a carrier’s CSA scores until April 1st.
While the industry has until December 18th to install ELDs on their fleets in place of paper logs to track hours-of-service, the FMCSA is taking additional steps to ease the transition period. Drivers who are not in compliance may still be cited during the Dec. 18th-April 1st period, however, will not receive points that affect the Safety Measurement System until after that time period. (1)
Morgan Stanley, who recently released results from its seventh ELD survey, indicated that capacity is expected to tighten nearly 3.44% after implementation, with 14% of the 375 respondents expecting a minimum capacity reduction of 7%. (2) 60% feel that this will take place within 1Q and 2Q 2018 while 36% expect to see the effects this year. (2)
With the industry agreeing that ELDs will no doubt have an impact on the driver shortage, ELD manufacturer, KeepTruckin, brings to light the ongoing issue of driver detention at shipper/consignee docks, suggesting that a driver’s hours-of-service be extended when they are being detained, as their clock is still ticking whether they are driving or waiting to be loaded/unloaded.
According to KeepTruckin’s report, “75% of drivers are detained at a shipper for more than two hours a week, and some 35% are held up for more than six hours each week,” leading these drivers to travel an average 3.5 mph faster, feeling pressured to made their next stop. (3) Rather than driving 11 hours within a 14-consecutive hour period, according to current HOS regulations, KeepTruckin is petitioning the FMCSA to extend the 14-hours to 16 when detained for 2 hours or more. (3)
For more information on ELDs, their impact on carriers and shippers, and how you can help yourself and carriers when e-logs go into effect, click here.
