ELD Compliance Deadline Looms

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) reminds everyone in the waste and recycling industry that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) electronic logging devices (ELD) mandate goes into effect on December 17. FMCSA has stated that it will not grant any extensions or exceptions to this deadline and that the ELD rule will be fully enforced beginning December 17 with no “soft enforcement” grace period. Automatic onboard recording devices will no longer be permitted and must be replaced with fully operational ELDs.

FMCSA announced on November 20 that it would grant NWRA a rare hours of service (HOS) exemption exclusively to its members that will eliminate the need for them to use ELDs as otherwise is required under the new rule. NWRA is providing a list of its current members to FMCSA as proof of exemption from enforcement for those companies. NWRA also will send electronic certificates of membership each year to its member companies for them to print out and carry in their vehicle fleets.

“At this point, companies only have two weeks to either comply with this costly mandate or join NWRA and be covered under our exemption,” said NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith in a statement. “In nearly every instance, NWRA membership is the more cost-effective option as they not only receive the exemption but also all the other benefits of belonging to the association.”

It is estimated that the ELD requirement would have cost NWRA members $116.7 million over two years.

Under the NWRA member exemption, the time limit for waste and recycling collection drivers to return to their work reporting location is increased from 12 hours to 14 hours. The daily driving limit remains at 11 hours.

According to the Notice of Final Disposition published in the Federal Register on November 21, “This exemption is limited to the provisions of 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1)(ii) and is available only to drivers for companies that are members of NWRA. These drivers must comply with all other applicable provisions of the FMCSRs.”