Three Congressmen Ask FMCSA To Grant OOIDA’s ELD Exemption
May 18, 2018 Three Republican congressmen sent a letter to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Ray Martinez calling for his support for ELD exemption for small-business trucking firms. In a May 8 letter, U.S. Reps. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont.; Steve King, R-Iowa; and Brian Babin, R-Texas, asked Martinez to grant an exemption request filed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association seeking relief from the ELD mandate on behalf of small business truckers with a proven safety record. The letter cites the economic impact on small-business trucking, prompting rate increases for freight and adding burdensome costs to the bottom line of trucking companies without providing much in the way of safety benefits. “OOIDA’s petition is the most extensive solution for resolving these concerns regarding the ELD mandate,” the letter states. “When granted, this petition will help farmers and ranchers who operate their own trucks and are concerned about animal health and welfare. The burden of the ELD mandate falls disproportionately on our rural communities, since they are heavily dependent on agriculture.” OOIDA’s petition requests that motor carriers considered to be a “small transportation trucking business” who do not have a Carrier Safety Rating of “unsatisfactory” and can document a proven history of safety performance with no attributable at-fault crashes should be exempted from the ELD requirement. The Small Business Administration classifies a small transportation trucking business as earning $27.5 million or less in average annual receipts. The Association is asking FMCSA for a five-year exemption from electronic logs. “Granting OOIDA’s request would further illustrate the administration’s commitment to delivering regulatory relief to help sustain economic growth,” the letter states.
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