Electronic logging devices (ELDs) are on track to becoming the new standard for all 3.4 million commercial drivers who are required by law to keep a record of duty status. By Sept. 30, 2015, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration plans to issue a final rule to mandate their use.
This should come as no surprise. In 2010, the agency published the original mandate (395.16) which was vacated by a federal court on the basis that fleet managers could use the technology, called electronic onboard recorders (EOBRs) in the rule, to micromanage or “harass” drivers.