That was the FMCSA’s decision in relation to the ELD exception request from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association in November 2017. The OOIDA submitted this five year exception petition from electronic logging mandate for motor carriers in the category of small businesses.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s rejection for this request was based in the fact that they considered the request to be more focused in the basis of the ELD mandate itself rather than the exemption.
The FMSCA also took into consideration the challenge this exception would pose for the law enforcement authorities, especially for roadside inspections, to recognize the drivers who meet this suggested exception criteria and then validate their status.
Certainly, the decision of the FMSCA in relation to OOIDA’s request wasn’t the one expected by the association. The president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Todd Spencer, expressed the association’s disappointment stating that other organizations received exemptions. He also said that currently there are several legislative proposals against the ELD mandate and expect it to advance through Congress.
