Small Trucking Companies Seek Regulatory Relief from ELD

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has applauded the remarks of several small-businesses in the transportation industry as they testified before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business on Wednesday, Nov. 29.

The hearing, dubbed “Highway to Headache: Federal Regulations on the Small Trucking Industry,” was an opportunity to provide input on the vital role small businesses play in the overall economy and highway safety.

“Small-business truckers and other businesses that rely on large trucks for their business models  must contend with the same restrictive regulations as large businesses,” said Todd Spencer, executive vice president of OOIDA. “Providing regulatory relief would be good for the economy and for highway safety as many regulations have no benefits for either. Small trucking businesses are the safest operators on the road, with millions of safe miles, and we should be helping them to thrive instead of putting them out of business with over-regulation.”

Numerous concerns were cited in testimony from OOIDA, represented by board of directors member Monte Wiederhold, an owner-operator with a small fleet of seven trucks in Ohio. Some of those same concerns were echoed by other witnesses sharing insights about regulations such as the electronic logging device mandate, hours-of-service, EPA emissions standards and minimum insurance requirements.

According to the OOIDA, the committee heard about how the ELD mandate is estimated to cost impacted stakeholders more than $2 billion, making it one of the most expensive federal transportation rulemakings over the last decade.

“The mandate provides no safety, economic, or productivity benefits for most ensnared by the mandate,” said Spencer.”

The organization cited that a chief concern is the self-certification of the devices that businesses will be required to purchase to comply with the mandate.  It noted, “At present, none of the 193 devices listed on the FMCSA website have been validated by the agency or any unbiased, third-party testing program.”

“Most small-businesses can ill afford to make these purchases only to learn later that the ELD is non-compliant.  Yet they are required to do so or risk violation,” said Spencer.

“Big trucking uses the myth of a driver shortage as a means to advance priorities that would actually harm drivers and undermine highway safety,” said Spencer. “The real problem is high turnover, which the large carriers rely upon to keep wages low and satisfy Wall Street investors. While pleading for help from Washington to address the mythical shortage, corporate motor carriers routinely blame the overcapacity of trucks within their own fleets for lower than expected earnings. Clearly, there are more trucks on the road than freight to haul.”

Category: General Update, News