Expert Knowledge Needed

It came to my attention yesterday that once ELDs become mandatory, milk haulers will become exempt in the 150 mile radius. Here is what was explained to me, as long as a milk hauler stays within the 150 mile radius he will not have to have the ELD turned on. Once he crosses the 150 mile radius , then he turns the ELD on. In other words, for a good example, say a milk hauler leaves Harrisonburg, Va going to Atlanta, Ga. He would leave the ELD off until he gets 150 miles from Harrisonburg, Va, then he turns the ELD on and then once he returns, within 150 miles from Harrisonburg, Va he turns the ELD off. Sounds crazy, but the person explaining it has found this in the Federal Regulations and he has been to the N.C. and Va. DOT and they are all in agreement on this.

Can someone shed some knowledge on this.

 

If we don't mandate it in the great white north, does that mean we can all unplug them when we cross back into canuckistan?

Excellent question.

 

I am "dead serious" about this. Everyone who sees this, cannot believe this exemption has "slipped into the Regulations", but it is there. Only for milk or cream. Personally, I find it hard to digest.

 

So, are you saying you're lactose intolerant?

 

I believe you will find that to be incorrect verbage. You do not start and stop the elog in the middle of the trip. For the duration of the trip but not only logging the middle of a trip.

 

I completely agree with you. But as I stated, this has been run by the DOT of Va. and N.C. and they have both said this is perfectly legal. The copies of the regulation will be put in each truck, in case there is any problem on the road. As I stated, I completely agree with you and this is the craziest thing I have ever heard.

 

At 82 years of age, I am "intolerant" of a bunch of things. LOL

 

YOU start the elog when you do your pre-trip. It is all about the assignment of the load, not the miles you drive.

YOU can not start and stop an elog when you cross that 150 mile exception is met. The 150 mile exception is excluded at the point of the assignment which takes you over the 150 mile demarcation.

The need to log exception and the further logging has to do with drivers like LTL who have a variable pickups and drops during a day, not for someone that has to go over the 150 miles as assigned. If there is a route that picks up at the farms and then gets one farm that brings him out to beyond that 150 miles, like 175, then he has to log the entire day.

We've already gone through this with the FMCSA and Michigan carrier enforcement, it doesn't matter what one state says, it matters that the state you cross into and the cop interprets it as, and he will tell you that the assignment of the load is what matters, not the 150 mile exception.

 

Are you in the "milk business", or did the discussion with "the FMCAS and Michigan carrier enforcement" deal with milk hauling or freight? Again, I do not see how this type of "logging" is going to be allowed. I certainly hope not.

 

Which type of logging?

Either you log the trip, or you don't. The exemption has no provisions in it for a combination of the two, that is a violation based on regulations.

I did short haul for 3 years and have dealt with this issue where I worked.

the ag exemption is the same I operated under except for the distance, so when I went from Detroit to Elkhart, that did not fall under the short haul exemption and had to be logged from start to finish, this was a 204 mile trip one way and took four hours to get out there, unloaded and came back within 10 hours total.

The question came up with one of my drivers last year when he was doing three weeks of short runs for Fiat, I told him to log the entire trip if he has to go beyond 100 miles and did so three times. The company even said it had to be done. I contacted my state police and asked to make sure, and then the FMCSA and it all came back the same as I was told, you have to log the entire trip.