BlogLine

U.S. House of Representatives Preparing to Vote on a Proposed 2-year Delay of the ELD Mandate

9/6/17

By: Parker M. Green
The House could vote on a proposed 2-year delay of the ELD Mandate as soon as this afternoon. U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) introduced the proposal – known as the “ELD Extension Act of 2017” – over the summer to postpone the December 18th compliance deadline until 2019. The proposal would amend a 2018 fiscal budget and effectively deny funding for the new ELD regulations. If adopted, the House would add the proposal to a fiscal 2018 funding bill before it proceeds to the Senate for further consideration.
The proposed delay of the ELD Mandate’s compliance deadline has been a source of contentious debate for several years. Proponents of a 2-year delay include the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (“OOIDA”), which argues that large sectors of the transportation industry would benefit from the extra time to implement compliant ELD systems. The key opponents of the proposal – namely the FMCSA and American Trucking Association – claim that the industry was provided more than enough time to prepare, implement, and comply with the ELD Mandate under the existing deadline.
As it stands today, the industry still faces a December 18, 2017 compliance deadline with ELD Mandate, which is barely more than 100 days away according to our countdown clock. Recent efforts to delay implementation of mandatory ELDs are poised to make the run-up to December 18th interesting. However, Congress must still act with uncharacteristic speed and efficiency for any delay of the ELD Mandate to become a reality.
For any questions, please feel free to contact Parker Green at pgreen@fmglaw.com.