More states put forth bills asking feds for ELD relief

From todays OOIDA website.
By Greg Grisolano, Land Line Digital Content Editor | Friday, February 16, 2018
0

More statehouses are offering legislation aimed to ask federal authorities to provide truckers relief from the ELD mandate or to limit funding for its enforcement.

Proposals in the legislatures of Alabama, Missouri, Idaho and Wyoming have been put forth this week.

Fifteen bipartisan members of Alabama’s House of Representatives are co-sponsoring a resolution offered by Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow, D-Red Bay, that calls on Congress to review the mandate and “take steps to create more flexibility” in regulations relating to agriculture and small business industries.

In Idaho, Sen. Mark Harris, R-Soda Springs, put forth a joint resolution asking the U.S. DOT and FMCSA to “permanently exempt” Idaho-domiciled carriers who transport livestock and agriculture commodities from the mandate. Among the reasons cited for opposition to the mandate are increased costs, lower efficiency and regulatory and economic hardship for small business truckers. Harris, a rancher, penned a Feb. 7 op-ed in The Preston Citizen newspaper criticizing the mandate for its negative impact on livestock haulers in particular.

A pair of ELD-related measures are under consideration in Missouri’s House of Representatives. A resolution by Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, calls on the federal government to waive the final rule on ELDs and exempt all Americans from its enforcement. The measure is similar to one offered by a bipartisan group of South Dakota state lawmakers.

Also in Missouri, Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, offered HB 2437, which would prohibit Missouri enforcement agencies and their officers and employees from enforcing or keeping records to show compliance with the ELD mandate. The measure is similar to a bill offered by Tennessee lawmakers this week.

Wyoming Sen. Wyatt Agar, R-Thermopolis, is sponsoring a similar bill that would prevent Wyoming officers from enforcing the mandate. The measure has six cosponsors in the Senate and 12 from the House. It has been referred to the Senate’s transportation committee