The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently announced the removal of four electronic logging devices (ELDs) from its approved list.
The following devices, effective as of December 11, are no longer certified as compliant ELDs by the FMCSA:
- Columbus ELD, model C-US
- MasterELD, model MELD02
- MasterELD, model MELD03
- MasterELD, model MELD04
The FMCSA has not disclosed the specific reasons for the decertification. However, the agency stated that the manufacturers of these devices failed to meet the minimum technical standards detailed in 49 CFR part 395, subpart B, appendix A, which outlines the functional requirements for ELDs. Updates to the story will include any further details provided by the manufacturers.
Motor Carriers Required to Act
The FMCSA is set to send out an industry-wide notification to inform affected motor carriers. Those currently utilizing any of these revoked ELDs must stop using the devices immediately. To remain compliant, carriers must switch to either paper logs or acceptable logging software to record hours-of-service (HOS) data. Additionally, carriers are required to replace these decertified ELDs with compliant devices from the FMCSA’s Registered ELDs List by February 9, 2025 (60 days from the effective date).
If these ELD manufacturers resolve the deficiencies identified by the FMCSA, the decertified devices will be reinstated. Should reinstatement occur, the FMCSA will provide an update to inform the industry.
Guidance for Law Enforcement
During the 60-day transitional period, FMCSA has advised safety officials not to cite drivers under 395.8(a)(1) (“No record of duty status”) or 395.22(a) (“Failing to use a registered ELD”) if they are found using one of these revoked ELDs. Instead, inspectors are instructed to request the driver’s paper logs or logging software as verification of hours-of-service compliance. Alternatively, enforcement personnel may review HOS data displayed on the ELD as a backup.
Source: Overdrive
