US poultry groups oppose electronic logs for trucks

02-06-2014 | |
US poultry groups oppose electronic logs for trucks

The US Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council and National Turkey Federation are opposed to the proposed rule mandating the use of Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), on the grounds of unnecessary expense.

The poultry groups say that many of their member companies have already installed ELDs in their fleets and enjoy the benefits of the technology including enhanced recordkeeping and other fleet management tools.

However, the existing paper log system allows motor carriers to comply with current hours of service regulations, and there is no reason to believe that electronic systems will substantially improve highway safety, the poultry trio claim.

Plus, the mandatory use of electronic systems adds an unnecessary expense to the costs of fleet operations.

The FMCSA, part of the US Department of Transportation (DOT), cites studies indicating that trucks with electronic logging devices are involved in fewer accidents than those using handwritten paper logs.

To which the poultry industry pointed out that the existing rule already requires ELDs for carriers with a high rate of service violations.

They have submitted their opinion to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA).

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