November 29, 2017

FMCSA Expected to Publish Guidance to Ag Industry on Electronic Logging Device Requirements

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Electronic Logging Device (ELD’s) rule is scheduled to go into effect on December 18, 2017, requiring commercial drivers to maintain hours-of-service logs electronically instead of using handwritten logs. However, in recent days, FMCSA has announced a 90-day waiver from the ELD requirement for agriculture, pending the publication of formal guidance to the agricultural industry in the Federal Register. The notice is expected to be published in early December and when available, Western Growers will immediately share the FMCSA guidance.      

Western Growers has had ongoing engagement with stakeholders and members on the ELD implementation and recently co-hosted a webinar on November 21st with our strategic transportation partner, C.H. Robinson, that covered a variety of topics related to the new rule. Members who were not able to participate in the webinar last week can log in to the WG website and VIEW IT HERE.

Additionally, in case you missed it, on November 22, Tom Oliveri, WGs Director of Trade Practices and Commodity Services, addressed the issue in his Tommy O blog.  

C.H. Robinson has also issued a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on the rule that includes a link to FMCSA’s own comprehensive FAQ page.

Look for updates in future Spotlight editions. For more information, contact Ken Gilliland at (949) 885-2267.