Long-haul truck drivers spend hours on the road, and this could take a toll on them. Driving beyond a certain number of hours could lead to drivers falling asleep behind the wheel, which is one of the significant contributors to road accidents.
To prevent this, electronic logging devices (ELDs) measure and limit the time spent by drivers on the road. If you are the owner of a fleet, then you must have an eld compliance solution that will connect your operations, maintain compliance at all locations, and lower the costs of ELD compliance.
However, it is not sufficient to have an ELD; you need to ensure that it is in accordance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
How To Check For FMCSA Compliance
By logging on to the FMCSA website, you can determine if the technical specifications of your device conform to the ELD rule or not.
If you have an ELD provider account, log in for information to develop and test your device. If you haven’t registered already, you can request a user account.
Having your ELD checked for FMCSA compliance can be completed by a 3-step process:
User Account Request
When you log on to the FMCSA portal, you will find a section called ELD, which relates to Electronic Logging Device. Go the Request a user account section.
Important technical information is available through the user account like Web Services Development handbook, public key, or FMCSA’s Interface Control Document for ELD. All the information required for a compliant ELD can be accessed once the user account is created.
When you click on the ‘Request user account’ tab, you will be directed to the ELD Provider Registration Form. Details required will be name, city, FMCSA contact phone, public phone, mailing address, country, FMCSA contact email, and public email for provider information.
As a registered ELD provider, you will get regular updates on the latest developments and requirements. The FMCSA email id can be obtained for transferring data by email and endpoints required for web services transfer.
You can also access the enforcement view in the FMCSA portal that allows you to see files submitted successfully to the test environment of the FMCSA Web Services.
The data transfer activity of your ELD device can be viewed as a summary report. The ELD Provider portal also provides options for device registration or updating of device information. This ensures you are up-to-date on the ELD list.
Testing Your Device
The next step in determining if your ELD is FMCSA compliant would be getting your device tested. As a provider, it is essential to certify that your device has been tested and meets the technical specifications as per the ELD rule. To facilitate this, FMCSA provides you with a File Validator.
This online tool will ensure that the registration process for ELD providers and developers is streamlined. You can also view the views of the safety officials regarding ELD output files.
For enforcement personnel reviews, your ELD data needs to clear the FMCSA systems. Data transfer can take place through two options.
Telematics
Under telematics, it can be transferred using web services or email. In the case of local transfer, you could use either USB or Bluetooth.
The data files are uploaded to ELD Web Service through an internal internet connection for web services. The ELD file is attached in case of email, and a message is sent to ELD Web Service using an email address specified by the FMCSA.
Local Transfer
For local transfer, USB is used for transferring data to a laptop for encryption and decryption. The ELD file is uploaded to the ELD Web Service through an internet connection that is Bluetooth enabled.
Registering And Managing Your ELD
After verification that your ELD is FMCSA compliant, it can be self-certified by you. The next step would be getting your ELD device registered with FMCSA.
When truck companies need ELDs, they will refer to the Self-Certified ELD list and choose the ELD that fits their business requirements. The list provides the information under the following heads:
- Device Name
- Model Number
- Software Version
- ELD Identifier
- Company
You also need to familiarize yourself with the ELD rule to know if it applies to you. Understand the exceptions to the law, the registration and self-certification process of FMCSA, and the technical specifications applicable to a compliant ELD.
Plus, there is a standard under the ELD rule for displaying and transferring data. It has provisions to ensure log data is not tampered with. This makes compliance more manageable, and RODs can be shared faster with safety officials.
Implementation Of ELD Compliance
FMCSA provides motor carriers with an implementation timeline for compliance with ELD. It consists of 3 phases:
Initial Transition
The first phase requires drivers need to complete the early stage of the ELD compliance. The RODS or Record of Duty Status can be carried out through paper logs, logging software, Automatic On-Board Recording Devices, or FMCSA registered ELD.
Phased-In Compliance
During phase 2, AOBRDs will be allowed if they were installed before December 18, 2017. If the ELD certification and registration have been according to FMCSAs new rule, it will be allowed.
Trucks purchased after December 18, 2017, must have ELD installed or be subject to FMCSA penalties.
Full Compliance
FMCSA certified ELD is mandatory for drivers submitting RODS for HOS reports after December 16, 2019.
To be FMCSA compliant, the ELD needs to follow certain technical specifications for record-keeping. These include internal synchronization, location information, grid display, advisory messages for HOS driver, default duty status, clock synchronization, and tampering resistance.
Boost Productivity With FMCSA Compliance
This was an insightful glimpse into the rules of FMCSA, and how trucking businesses can confirm whether their ELD meets the requirements or not.
FMCSA-compliant ELDs help drivers keep track of the number of hours they have spent on the road so that they don’t go overboard and cause accidents.
Compliance with ELD is facilitated by telematics that helps you to track the exact location of your vehicle. If you are interested, read more about telematics on Samsara.com.
This improves the productivity of the drivers, and that means higher revenues for you!
