A recent study concluded that the federal ELD mandate has not reduced accidents

In fact, the study found its implementation correlates with an increase in unsafe driving incidents.

That is an outtake based on the same study I posted last week from the University of Arkansas.

A few highlights:
–The ELD mandate significantly improved driver compliance with reporting hours of service
–For most carriers (except those with more than 50,000 trucks) the number of accidents actually increased
–Unsafe driving infractions also increased

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If the ELD mandate increases accidents, then do you think the mandate will be reversed?

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@Andrew_Gibson I don’t think the mandate will go away, but it will be interesting to see if it will be changed. The authors of this paper and study don’t seem to make any recommendations on how to address the problems. Rather, they just make a call for a reassessment of the ELD program, or for logistics/transportation managers to pay more attention to the frequent offenders.

Of course, the latter recommendation presents a problem as the repeat offenders seem to be concentrated in smaller carriers and owner/operators, and there probably is not oversight with these drivers. IMO, there should be additional studies, particularly with the smaller carriers and owner/operators.

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For those interested, here is an intriguing podcast on ELD repercussions that @Mike_Kotloski shared last week. It presents an analysis of the ELD mandate’s effects, breaking down many of the complex consequences.

linkedin.com

Michael Kotloski on LinkedIn: Are ELDs Responsible for Higher Crash Rates and…

Here’s an interesting topic and study for those of you who have ELD required drivers. "Are ELDs Responsible for Higher Crash Rates and More Risky Driving…

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Owner Operators have been saying this since the mandate was put in force. There has to be a better way. ELD mandates have driven a significant portion of the older generation out of the trucking industry. We are struggling to recruit new talent and to bring drivers in.

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Thank you @Madison_Hibner for unearthing and posting a podcast with our very own Pakira user @Mike_Kotloski ! Very informative.

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Thank you @Nicole_Atkins for your insight. Seems like its a known problem within the trucking industry. What are your suggestions to fix this problem? Lobbying for a regulatory change?

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and here is a link to the ELD rules – just to have a primary source in the discussion

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@Nicole_Atkins I’m curious to see if additional studies will come out and force the government to take another look and possibly make some changes.

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