Shippers need plan to navigate next ELD phase

Dec 15, 2019 at 02:30 PM CST
Are shippers ready for the next phase of the US electronic logging device (ELD) mandate? They should be, but if past history is any guide, they may not be the case. Those shipping freight across the United States need to plan, even at the last minute, for potential disruption, even if that disruption is minor. The provision of the ELD mandate that “grandfathered” automatic onboard recording devices (AOBRDs) for two years expires Monday. All truckers that had AOBRDs will be expected to have replaced them with ELDs. Those that haven’t may be subject to fines and out-of-service orders. This time, regulators say there will be no “soft enforcement.” That should give shippers a strong sense of Déjà vu. In the runup to the implementation of the ELD mandate two years ago, trucking companies scrambled to find devices as the Dec. 18, 2017 deadline approached. ELD vendors reportedly were swamped by last-minute orders, and shippers were caught off guard when capacity suddenly tightened.

Dec 15, 2019 at 02:30 PM CST

Are shippers ready for the next phase of the US electronic logging device (ELD) mandate? They should be, but if past history is any guide, they may not be the case. Those shipping freight across the United States need to plan, even at the last minute, for potential disruption, even if that disruption is minor. The provision of the ELD mandate that “grandfathered” automatic onboard recording devices (AOBRDs) for two years expires Monday. All truckers that had AOBRDs will be expected to have replaced them with ELDs. Those that haven’t may be subject to fines and out-of-service orders. This time, regulators say there will be no “soft enforcement.” That should give shippers a strong sense of Déjà vu. In the runup to the implementation of the ELD mandate two years ago, trucking companies scrambled to find devices as the Dec. 18, 2017 deadline approached. ELD vendors reportedly were swamped by last-minute orders, and shippers were caught off guard when capacity suddenly tightened.