Meet DOT Electronic Logging Device mandate with Lytx

ELD is an acronym for “electronic logging device.” ELDs automatically sync with a commercial motor vehicle’s engine to track and record driving time, hours of service (HOS), engine run times, vehicle movement and location, and miles driven.  

Per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), “Electronic logging devices (ELDs) are intended to create a safer work environment for drivers of commercial motor vehicles, and make it easier and faster to accurately track, manage, and share data on driving and off-duty time.”
 
ELDs must comply with specific technical specifications as defined by the FMCSA. To be compliant, all ELDs must be manufacturer certified and registered with the FMCSA. A smartphone or other wireless device can qualify as an ELD if it meets the ELD rule technical specifications.

The “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century” bill, or MAP-21, was signed into law in July 2012. That bill provided billions in government funding for surface transportation programs and included a provision requiring the FMCSA to develop an ELD mandate.

In December 2015, the FMCSA rolled out the ELD Mandate in two phases of enforcement: 

• By December 18, 2017, fleets subject to the rule must use either a certified ELD or automatic onboard recording device (AOBRD) to record HOS
• By December 16, 2019, fleets subject to the rule must use only ELDs

The rule also set ELD performance and design standards, defined the mandatory HOS records of duty status (RODS) documents for truck drivers and carriers, and prohibited harassment of drivers based on ELD reports.

ELD requirements apply to all commercial motor vehicles involved in interstate commerce when operated by drivers required to keep RODS. The rule applies to property or passenger carrying when operating in the United States regardless of nationality, point of origin, or where the driver time or on-duty was accrued.

The ELD mandate has some limited exceptions, including:

• Drivers who operate under the short-haul exceptions
• Drivers who use paper RODS for no more than 8 days out of every 30-day period
• Drivers who conduct driveaway or towaway operations, as long as the vehicle is part of the shipment
• Drivers of vehicles manufactured before 2000

ELD compliance dictates that a motor carrier must retain RODS data for 6 months. A back-up copy of electronic log data is mandatory for potential inspection and must be stored separately from the original data. Finally, companies must ensure driver privacy when retaining ELD records.