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How ELDs affect your HOS Compliance BASIC

With policies and procedures in place, ELDs can help improve safety culture and CSA scores.

31 July 2019

EROAD ELD
EROAD ELD

About the HOS Compliance BASIC

The Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance BASIC is one of seven areas that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) use to determine how safe a motor carrier is compared to other, similar carriers. After the ELD mandate went into effect, FMCSA updated its list of HOS violations used in the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) enforcement model.

The CSA's HOS Compliance BASIC addresses four key categories:

  • Form and manner violations
  • HOS rule violations
  • Unidentified trips
  • Issues with AOBRDs and ELDs

 

With the advent of ELDs, this BASIC naturally became top of mind for many carriers. While intimidating at first, with proper policies and established procedures in place, the switch to ELD can be beneficial to improving your safety culture and your CSA score.

 

Related: What is an ELD?

 

Here's how ELDs can affect your HOS Compliance BASIC

 

Form and manner violations

These are the most common violation, since they are the simplest for an inspector to notice. They cost a single point per violation, but they add up over time. ELDs have been responsible for an industry-wide drop in form and manner violations, though they can still occur. Keep in mind, not all ELDs are created equal. If the device is easy for drivers to use, you'll have a better chance at success here.

 

HOS rule violations

These rules have not changed since the roll out of the ELD mandate, but ELDs increase visibility of violations. Violations of the 14-hour rule are most common, and they cost you 7 points per violation (1 point for a nominal violation). Similarly, violating the 11-hour rule or rules about taking mandatory breaks will cost 7 points. ELDs are great for identifying patterns of behavior. It could be dispatch issues, location- or shipper-specific issues. If you notice a driver violating a 30-minute break often, it's great to use the data for coaching

 

Unidentified Trip violations

These are created if a vehicle is on the move and no driver is logged into the ELD. Most ELDs show a prompt if it detects vehicle movement with no one logged in. Drivers are responsible for responding to these prompts, as well as reviewing their trips. It costs 5 points if a prompt goes ignored completely.

During inspection, time may be added to a driver’s logs to account for the time of an unidentified trip. If enough is added to a driver’s logs, this could trip an HOS violation. Some ELDs are programmed to make these prompts very visible. Be sure to rely on a device that makes it easy as possible for drivers to always account for a vehicle’s time on the road.

 

Topics

Electronic logging device (ELD) Transport and logistics Driver hours North America and Canada Tax and compliance

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