Trucking news and briefs for Friday, March 1, 2024:
Five ELDs’ certifications revoked by FMCSA
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced Thursday, Feb. 29, that it has revoked the certification of five electronic logging devices from its list of registered ELDs.
The five revoked devices are:
- CI ELD Logs from CV Options LLC
- CN ELD from ELD Connection
- KSK ELD from KSK Group, Inc.
- TT ELD 30 from TT ELD Inc.
- TT ELD 1010 from TT ELD Inc.
Notably, the KSK ELD and the CI ELD Logs devices had previously been revoked by FMCSA and reinstated.
FMCSA said it placed these ELDs on the Revoked Devices list due to the companies’ failure to meet the minimum requirements established in 49 CFR part 395, subpart B, appendix A, which details the “functional specifications” for ELDs.
[Related: 10 ELDs removed from FMCSA's 'Registered Devices' list]
Carriers and drivers using the revoked devices are required to discontinue using the revoked ELDs and revert to paper logs or logging software to record required hours of service data, and replace the revoked ELDs with a compliant device before April 28.
If the ELD providers correct all identified deficiencies for their devices, FMCSA will place the ELDs back on the list of registered devices and inform the industry of the update.
During the 60-day period carriers have to replace devices, safety officials are encouraged not to cite drivers using these revoked ELDs for “No record of duty status” or “Failing to use a registered ELD.” Instead, inspectors should request the driver’s paper logs, logging software, or use the ELD display as a back-up method to review the hours of service data, FMCSA noted.
If a carrier or driver is still using a revoked device after April 28, however, they will be considered to be operating without an ELD.
[Related: FMCSA reinstates recently-revoked ELD]
Shippers’ conditions held steady in December
FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index barely moved in December with a reading of 6.4, as shippers saw unusually stable conditions during the month, the firm reported.
However, entering 2024 the outlook is weaker as fuel prices stop dropping steadily and freight rates become a bit less favorable.
“We are seeing firmer freight demand than our forecasts had been indicating, and that will start chipping away at the favorable capacity utilization and rate environments that have benefitted shippers for some time,” said Avery Vise, FTR’s vice president of trucking. “Shippers should start mulling over how they will respond to a freight market that is considerably more balanced and, therefore, more susceptible to volatility.”
Vise added that FTR is continuing to forecast favorable conditions for shippers through the end of 2024 and into 2025, “and even then, we would not expect negative SCI readings to match the scope of positive readings seen in 2023.”
Trucker seeks waiver from ELD exemption
An owner-operator is petitioning the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for a waiver from the requirement that he use an electronic logging device in his operation.
Albert Ibraimi in his request says he is a new single-truck owner-operator “and has limited funds to support the purchase of an ELD.”
Ibraimi added that he would use the funds saved from not implementing an ELD toward monitoring “the safety of operations and to incorporate safety management controls into his operation.”
“The payment of the ELDs, which is virtually only practical for companies that have multiple CMVs, could be invested in the safer operation of the organization by investing it in the monitoring of high safety standards,” Ibraimi said in his exemption request received by FMCSA on Oct. 24, 2023. Ibraimi requested the exemption for one year from the time he submitted the request, through Oct. 9, 2024.
FMCSA will accept public comments on the request for 30 days beginning Friday, March 1. Comments can be filed at www.regulations.gov by searching Docket No. FMCSA-2023-0244.
