Samuel Mayfield, a retired officer with the聽Arizona Department of Public Safety聽who spent more than a decade in commercial vehicle enforcement, has advice for truckers concerned about the upcoming electronic logging device (ELD) mandate.
鈥淚t is going to be a great thing for trucking,鈥� said Mayfield, a U.S. Army veteran whose lengthy resume includes being a certified instructor with the聽Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. He believes the mandate will long be remembered for lifting the entire trucking industry 鈥渋nto the 21st聽century.鈥�
Mayfield, now a FMCSA compliance specialist at聽FleetUp聽and safety consultant and educator with聽Academic Carrier Education Services, shared advice for truckers and fleet managers on how to select the right ELD, and what to expect during roadside inspections after the mandate takes effect Dec. 18.
He said he has no doubt聽the mandate will improve overall safety and productivity for truckers, and any further delay 鈥渋s just going to make things worse, in terms of how the mandate is viewed.鈥�
Speaking from his law enforcement background, he views ELD opponents as the ones who most likely 鈥渟houldn鈥檛 be cheating [on their log books] in the first place.鈥� Instead, he said, truckers should consider an ELD as their 鈥減ersonal assistant.鈥�
鈥淭he device will do nothing but help you be complaint with hours of service. They should look at it like a benefit instead of a chain around the neck. It will help you get past the frustration and the changes quicker, and be more effective as a driver.鈥�
Mayfield said he is well aware there is confusion surrounding the mandate, some of which he chalked up to unsubstantiated and baseless rumors. He voiced support for the聽decision by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance to institute a soft enforcement and education period, and not pull truckers out of service for ELD violations until April.
He suggested past history has shown roadside inspectors and other members of the law enforcement community are often better trained and more prepared for regulatory and technological changes than commercial drivers. With that in mind, he provided a few tips to minimize potential pitfalls in the coming months:
- Avoid Bluetooth-only ELD options because a loss of connectivity can cause data to unknowingly disappear.
- Do not rely on price alone in making a decision. Instead, focus on the interface for drivers and fleet managers to ensure it is user friendly, and includes an easy-to-understand user manual. 鈥淭he more difficult to figure out the ELD device, the more frustrated [drivers] are going to get, and the more they will wish they didn鈥檛 have the device and won鈥檛 look for opportunities to improve,鈥� he said.
- Fleets should take the time to read the regulation, rather than relying on what they are hearing. Executives should not be afraid to reach out to a consultant or expert on technical aspects that are unclear.
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