Failure to use ELDs won't affect CSA scores until April

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration confirmed on November 15 that a carrier's failure to use required electronic logs will not be assigned points within the Safety Measurement System (SMS) until April 1, 2018. That is the same date that failure to use either an electronic logging device (ELD) or automatic onboard recording device (AOBRD) will lead to an out-of-service order for drivers required to complete records of duty status (RODS). The disclosure came during a "road show" event in Birmingham, Alabama, by Jon Dierberger, an FMCSA field administrator.

Violations of the ELD mandate, which kicks in December 18, would continue to be recorded, and carriers could still face enforcement action in the context of a compliance review. But with violations neither leading to an out-of-service order nor affecting SMS metrics, the ELD mandate essentially will be in a soft enforcement phase until April 1.