In case you haven’t heard, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently granted an exemption to the ELD Mandate for rental truck drivers, which is in effect until October 2022.

This results from the work done by the Truck Renting and Leasing Association (TRALA), who were concerned about the ELD Mandate effects on short-term rental vehicles in the industry. The exemption applies to truckers driving short-term rental trucks for 8 days or fewer, as they will no longer have to maintain logs with electronic logging devices.

But what exactly does this ELD exemption mean for truck drivers?

Keep reading to find out.

Hours-of-Service Rules

ELDs are meant to enforce the Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations on Hours of Service. These regulations determine how long a driver can work before being required to take mandatory time off.

However, even though the FMCSA exempted some rental trucks from the ELD requirement, they must still follow the Hours-of-Service rules. For a quick refresher on what exactly this means for drivers, remember the:

11-Hour Driving Rule: A driver may drive up to 11 hours total before they must take a 10-hour break.

14-Hour On Duty Shift Rule: As soon as a driver changes their status to “On Duty” or “Driving” to start the day, a 14-hour timer begins. This does not stop, even if the driver switches to “Off Duty” or “Sleeper Berth.” Once the timer is up, the driver must take a 10-hour break before driving again.

70-Hour in 8 Days Rule: Total time spent “Driving” and “On Duty” can’t go beyond 70 hours within 8 days. To restart this clock, a 34-hour restart is required. Fleets can also choose the same rule for 60 hours in 7 days.

8-Hour, 30-Minute Break Rule: When a driver ends a break and changes to “On Duty” or “Driving”, an 8-hour clock starts. Before it stops, the driver must take a 30-minute rest break with settings in “Off Duty” or “Sleeper” status.

10-Hour Break: If time on the 11-hour or 14-hour timer has ended, then the driver must take at least 10 consecutive hours in “Off Duty” or “Sleeper Berth” to restart them again.

34-Hour Restart: If the driver is running low in regard to the 70-hour in 8 days rule, then they can complete a 34-hour restart in “Off Duty” or “Sleeper Berth” to reset the clock

Other ELD Exemption Terms

In addition to the Hours-of-Service rules, truck drivers also have a few other terms to abide by the ELD exemption regulations.

To start, truck drivers must keep paper logs for all the days that a rental truck is in use, regardless of the fact that they don’t need to log hours through ELDs. However, if the rental truck is driven for more than 8 days in a row, then it will violate the exemption rule.

Truck drivers must keep a copy of the rental agreement and a copy of the exemption notice with them in the rental truck at all times to show law enforcement if necessary.

Do You Need an ELD Solution?

The ELD exemption was meant to ease the fears of certain drivers in the trucking industry. However, if you’re still concerned about your ELD needs, then contact UTECH today.

Our ELD has gone through a rigorous certification process, and we guarantee that it will make a great choice as an automatic onboard recording device for your business. Based on the well-known and tested GPSTab platform, our edition will provide more functionality to fleets of all sizes, while keeping drivers happy.

We’re also happy to answer any question you might have about the ELD mandate, no matter if you’re a larger or smaller fleet. We will ease your fears, so you can continue doing your job efficiently.