FMCSA denies OOIDA ELD exemption request

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has rejected a request for exemption from the electronic logging mandate requested by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association submitted the exemption request in November 2017. The agency notified OOIDA of the denial on Monday, July 2.

The agency denied the exemption claiming most of the request challenged the basis of the electronic rule itself and did not recognize the “significant difficulty that would be encountered in trying to identify and validate drivers who meet the proposed exemption criteria, especially during roadside inspections.”

OOIDA had requested at least a five-year exemption for motor carriers classified as small businesses, according to the Small Business Administration, and have a proven safety history with no attributable at-fault crashes and who do not have a Carrier Safety Rating of “unsatisfactory.”

Todd Spencer, president of OOIDA, says the Association is disappointed.

“We are puzzled and disappointed at the response from the agency. For months, the FMCSA has been granting exemptions to other organizations, some not even actually in trucking but relying on trucks for their businesses,” Spencer said.

Spencer says Congress recently started taking notice that the mandate was not ready for prime time. There are numerous legislative proposals that would provide relief from the mandate. Spencer said he is hopeful Congress will move forward on them quickly.