How Safe is ELD Self-Certification?
Are you in the transportation industry?
If so, then you’ve probably heard a thing or two about electronic logging devices. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has provided a list of certified and registered ELDs on their website, to help carriers make a thoughtful decision when meeting the new ELD mandate.
But what exactly does “FMCSA Certified” mean?
To help you answer that important question and much more, use our guide below to figure out what exactly self-certification really means for your business today.
Self-Certification Process
It must first be said that Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) are not certified by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), but actually by the manufacturers. You can think of this as more of a registration process, not so much a certification process. It should also be noted that the FMCSA has also not established a vetting documentation technique yet. ELD compliance is self-certified, meaning that the manufacturers are the ones who register their own ELDs and make sure that they match the technical specifications that the FMCSA have established in the ELD Mandate. It kind of seems like there’s no guarantee that those ELDs are actually compliant, right?
However, this self-certification process may not be as easy as you think. The FMCSA will also ask for detailed information about the products, documentation, and other important items along with the self-certification, before uploading it to the FMCSA list. Yet, this still leaves plenty of room for ambiguity. The FMCSA is expecting drivers and carriers to comply, and providers to develop correct devices.
Non-Compliance
Going along with this, it is also very possible for an ELD that had been previously registered to be found non-compliant and removed from the FMCSA list. If noncompliance is discovered at roadside, then the carrier will be cited once for operating a non-compliant device. If caught again, the truck will be placed out of service. When that occurs, then the drivers can temporarily use paper logs while motor carriers will have exactly 8 days from notification to replace a noncompliant device with one that is compliant. This is also the timeframe for ELDs that need to be repaired, replaced, or serviced.
The FMCSA will work with affected motor carriers to create a reasonable timeframe in case a widespread problems occurs. However, that provides little comfort for larger fleets who will have to accomplish a lot of work in a very small time frame.
How to Choose a Vendor So how can you ensure that you are picking the right ELD choice?
One step you can take is to pick an ELD from a company that has been independently verified. There are a few companies out there, like PIT Group, who offer independent testing and verification of ELDs. This ensures that you are picking devices that have been tested by an unbiased party, and that there are meeting the most up-to-date requirements. To help you make a thorough purchasing decision, make sure that you are independently checking items along with the regulation checklist. That way you can make sure that everything is compliant and meeting the requirements. When it comes down to it, make sure that you do the proper homework for your business, to ensure that the ELDs you buy are the right ones.
Does Your Company Need Certified ELDs?
If your business is in need of a FMCSA certified ELD, then look no further. Consider the GPSTab - ELD Edition from Utech Inc. 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 the well-known and tested GPSTab platform, our edition will provide more functionality to fleets of all sizes, while keep drivers happy.
Contact us today to learn more about how our ELDs can help your business today!