Congressmen Greg Gianforte (R-MT) and Collin C. Peterson (D-MN) reintroduced two pieces of bipartisan legislation to relieve certain sectors of the trucking industry from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s electronic logging device (ELD) mandate.
The Agricultural Business Electronic Logging Device Exemption Act of 2018 would exempt agriculture haulers from using federally mandated electronic logging devices, instead allowing them to use either paper logs or an ELD to monitor their hours of service.
The bill was put forward last year in the previous Congressional session. But despite having bipartisan support and 34 cosponsors, never made it out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee.
A similar bill titled, The Small Carrier Electronic Logging Device Exemption Act of 2018 was also reintroduced. The bill would exempt businesses which operate ten or fewer commercial trucks from the requirements of the ELD mandate. The bill followed much the same path as it’s counterpart in the last Congress, never making it out of subcommittee.
“Electronic logging devices are more Washington red tape that ties up truckers and puts livestock and Montana livelihoods at risk,” Gianforte said. “These bills will help reduce the unnecessary burden this federal mandate pushes onto Montana’s small trucking operations, farmers, and ranchers.”
“This important legislation will eliminate regulations for small trucking companies and will help reduce unnecessary stops and delays which threaten the agricultural products they help to transport,” said Peterson. “These bills are a win for small businesses in rural America and our farmers.”
The bill have wide support from agriculture and trucking groups from organizations like Farm Bureau, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, American Sheep Industry Association, Western Equipment Dealers Association, and the United States Transportation Alliance.
The ELD mandate requires commercial drivers who prepare hours-of-service records to connect an electronic logging device to a vehicle’s engine to record driving hours.
