TRALA Requests ELD Exemption Through Dec. 31
The Truck Renting and Leasing Association requested an exemption from the electronic logging device mandate through the end of the year for property-carrying trucks rented for 30 days or fewer, according to a document published in the Federal Register March 13.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration granted TRALA a 90-day waiver for the same purpose Jan. 19. The waiver expires April 19. TRALA has stated that it needs until Dec. 31 to address the ELD issues that its short-term lessors are experiencing.
“This request, if granted, would provide rental-vehicle owners, carriers and drivers with additional time to develop compliance strategies for dealing with the unique issues relating to the use of ELDs in short-term rental vehicles,” the document states. “TRALA believes that the exemption, if granted, would not have any adverse impacts on operational safety, as drivers would continue to remain subject to the hours-of-service regulations as well as the requirements to maintain a paper record of duty status.”
FMCSA is taking comments on this exemption request through April 12.
TRALA Request by Transport Topics on Scribd
TRALA represents companies whose members lease and rent commercial motor vehicles. According to a TRALA press release issued in December, one of the problems the group grapples with is that ELD platforms are not interoperable with one another. For example, if a fleet has one ELD system but the rental company has another, it is impossible to combine them without building new systems, a process which is costly and time-consuming. These interoperability issues could pose a financial hardship for fleets, the press release states.
FMCSA’s notice states that the association has taken several steps to resolve its problems with ELDs, such as meeting with customers, setting up cloud-based portal systems between ELD providers and purchasing thousands of the devices for rental trucks.
“TRALA states that its members continue to work diligently with their customers, developing systems that will allow renters to record and report their hours seamlessly, and partnering with ELD providers to give the most options available to rental customers,” the document states.
