Fewer HOS Violations Thanks to ELD Mandate

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), hours-of-service (HOS) violations have decreased drastically since the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate began to be fully enforced in December 2017.

The agency said that fewer than 1% (4,720) out of all driver inspections (559,940) resulted in driver citations for operating without a required ELD or automatic on-board recording device since April 1.

The May data for violations was 0.64%, down from 1.36% last summer, before the ELD mandate’s effective date. FMCSA posted a handy visual on its website and said it will update the data on a regular, cycling basis.

The CVSA had mentioned that this year’s International Road Check focus would be on the hours-of-service compliance. This wasn’t a surprise, considering that this roadcheck was the first since the enforcement of the ELD mandate. Hours-of-service compliance has always been a problem in the industry and poses as the primary cause for drivers to go out of service every year.

The top driver-related violation last year was hours-of-service, with 32.3% of offending drivers going out of service.

Potentially Even Fewer Violations

The House of Representatives is currently reviewing a bill that could provide HOS flexibility for some truckers. This will hopefully reduce HOS even more. This legislation would exempt truckers hauling livestock or agricultural products from HOS rules within 150 miles of their load’s source. The policy would allow them to more easily drop their live loads without penalty.

If you have any questions about ELDs and hours-of-service violations, give our Safety Department a call at (800) 821-2196.

Thanks go to the American Trucker newsletter for the hours-of-service and ELD Mandate information.