Dozens of lawmakers tell FMCSA, ‘We support OOIDA’s ELD exemption request’

A group of 25 Congressional lawmakers has thrown its support behind a proposal that would exempt small motor carriers with exemplary safety records from the mandate requiring electronic logging devices to record hours of service.

Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, who has introduced a bill that would have delayed the mandate by two years, issued a news release Thursday afternoon, along with a copy of the letter sent to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

“For the last six months, I have worked every day to try and delay the implementation of the electronic logging device mandate,” Babin said in the release. “Unfortunately, on Dec. 18 of last year the mandate did in fact go into effect, and the only realistic option for relief at this time for most independent truck drivers is through a waiver issued by the Department of Transportation and the FMCSA.”

OOIDA filed the exemption request in November. The Association is asking the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to allow small trucking carriers that do not have an “unsatisfactory” safety rating and can document a proven history of safety performance without attributable at-fault crashes to be allowed to continue to use paper logs rather than ELDs to record hours of service. The requests asks for a five-year exemption.

Babin and his colleague, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, gathered an additional 23 lawmakers in support of OOIDA’s exemption request. The signatures on the letter include 24 Republicans, and one Democrat, Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota.

The letter also calls upon FMCSA deputy administrator Cathy Gautreaux to issue a 90-day relief period for all trucking sectors, while the agency “continues to examine and adjudicate the numerous applications for exemptions and waivers.”

OOIDA issued a statement Friday thanking Reps. Babin, King and the 23 other members of Congress for issuing a letter of support in the pending application for the Association’s ELD exemption.

“We thank the representatives, especially Congressmen Babin and King, for recognizing that small-business truckers that have already proven their ability to operate safely should not be subject to purchasing costly, unproven and uncertified devices,” said Todd Spencer, acting president of OOIDA.

Here is the complete list of lawmakers who signed the letter:

• Brian Babin, R-Texas
• Steve King, R-Iowa
• John R. Moolenar, R-Mich.
• David Young, R-Iowa
• Sean Duffy, R-Wisc.
• Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.
• Jason Smith, R-Mo.
• Darin LaHood, R-Ill.
• Adrian Smith, R-Neb.
• Collin Peterson, D-Minn.
• Ralph Norman, R-S.C.
• Clay Higgins, R-La.
• Austin Scott, R-Ga.
• Scott Perry, R-Pa.
• Neal P. Dunn, R-Fla.
• Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
• Kristi L. Noem, R-S.D.
• Jack Bergman, R-Mich.
• Dave Brat, R-Va.
• Alexander X. Mooney, R-W.V.
• Ted S. Yoho, R-Fla.
• Greg Gianforte, R-Mont.
• David G. Valadao, R-Calif.
• Bill Huizenga, R-Mich.
• Mike Kelly, R-Pa.