By STAN MADDUX
Indiana Correspondent BRUSH, Colo. — Livestock haulers on runs of 150 or fewer air-miles are not mandated like other truck drivers to have an electronic logging device (ELD). But things get more complicated for truckers who run both livestock and non-farm products. To untangle the confusion, technology automatically logging and displaying the miles traveled on behalf of each product to determine compliance with the new ELD rule is now on the market. GeoSpace Labs of Colorado is seeking a patent for its agriculture-specific ELD, now in about 500 trucks. About 20,000 trucks are equipped with the company’s regular ELD, but that one doesn’t have the capability to distinguish instantly the miles traveled by livestock and other forms of consumer goods carried by one driver. “It saves a lot of time,” said David Lady of GeoSpace Labs. Livestock is among the ag-related commodities exempt from the ELD rule that went into effect late in 2017, as long as the farm loads don’t surpass a 150 air-mile radius from the point of pickup (150 air-miles are equal to about 172 road miles). ELDs are required for all other commodities to make sure a driver is not on the road longer than 11 hours at one time and that they remained parked for at least 10 hours before resuming their trip. The purpose of the new rule is to eliminate log books from being altered by drivers choosing to travel for longer periods of time. Lady said the ag-specific ELD relies on GPS to record the miles traveled by livestock and other products carried by one driver. During inspections, he said a driver hits a button to transmit log data from this particular ELD; the information winds up on the screen of the computer device carried by the officer doing the inspection. A driver outside the 150-mile limit might seem to be in violation of the livestock exemption until it’s revealed the livestock portion of the route had not exceeded the restriction. “It’s wildly simple to use,” Lady said. Presently, he said truck drivers on runs split between farm products eligible for the exemption and other goods must prove they’re not in violation. That can require piecing together information from standard log books and other sources such as data from a regular ELD. More time is also needed for the officer to review and understand the sometimes confusing data. The exemption is scheduled to end on Sept. 30, though there are efforts to extend this period. Duane DeBruyne, a spokesman for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), said the exemption will remain in effect indefinitely. But the Livestock Marketing Assoc. is cautioning drivers not to expect the exemption period to last, and to look into obtaining an ELD. The GeoSpace patent application was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Lady said it could take anywhere from a month to three years for a decision on the application. It took about two years to program the ag-specific ELD system before it just recently hit the market, he added. According to the FMCSA, livestock haulers in trucks made prior to 2000 do not have to have an ELD as long as they’re not outside the 150 air-mile radius for more than eight days during any 30-day period. Other farm commodities exempted from the rule include bees, horses, and fish used for food, FMCSA stated. |
