Most of us working in an industry where physical products and materials are moved know that the Electronic Log Device Mandate is affecting fleets across the nation in some way, but aren’t quite sure exactly how. The general feeling is that drivers should not drive past their limits, and we are protecting them and everyone else on the road too. It sounds good in theory, but in practice, it has significantly cut down capacity of miles that can legally be driven in one day.

Our team is all about safety and always choose carriers that have excellent driving records. On the surface, the ELD mandate looks great, to make sure drivers are well rested, and drive attentively. The part that was not well planned out at this time was that a full work day also included many hours of downtime.

When there is more traffic than anticipated, freight is not ready to load, or even if the loading time takes longer than expected, the driver is still on the clock with the “work hours” that are allocated. All this downtime reduces the chance of using up the daily drive time limit given based on the new rules. With reduced hours moving on the road, there may be pressure for the driver to drive at higher speeds to reach their destinations. These are still the early days of the new rules, and we can only speculate how this affects road safety and the transportation industry.

Take a look at the video we’ve put together to further explain the changes!