FMCSA Grants ELD Waiver for Short-Term Rental Trucks Until April 19, 2018

Today, the Truck Renting and Leasing Association (TRALA) announced that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published the waiver TRALA requested for short-term rental trucks in the Federal Register.

According to TRALA’s announcement: This 90-day waiver from the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Mandate runs from today to April 19, 2018. While TRALA was told by the agency this waiver was coming since December 12, 2017, TRALA had been waiting for the FMCSA to formally post it in the Federal Register so that any driver of a short-term rental truck can simply print out a copy of the notice and carry it in their cab during this time frame. With the ELD Mandate going in to effect December 18, 2017, many safety officers have been unaware of the waiver being granted for rental trucks, which had created confusion for several TRALA members. By posting the waiver in the Federal Register, TRALA expects the inspection process to be much simpler for rental trucks.

The 90-day waiver will allow trucks rented for 30 days or less to use paper logs to record their Hours-of-Service and allow TRALA members more time to equip trucks with ELDs. This 90-day waiver can only be issued once but following its conclusion, rental customers will still be able to rely on the 8 day exemption from the ELD Mandate for rental trucks that TRALA received late last year which runs for five years.

There are several requirements within the 90-day waiver that must be followed in order to benefit from this exemption. They include:

• The waiver expires April 19, 2018.
• The exemption covers rental of any property-carrying vehicle for a period of 30 days or less and evidence that a carrier has simply replaced one rental with another 30 days will be considered a violation.
• Drivers operating under this waiver must still comply with all other regulations such as paper logs while operating a short-term rental truck.
• Motor carriers must have a “satisfactory” rating in order to utilize this waiver.
• Drivers must carry a copy of the Federal Register notice in the vehicle and present it to a law enforcement officer upon request.
• Carriers operating under this waiver must notify FMCSA within 5 business days of any accident involving any vehicle that was using this waiver at the time of the accident.
• FMCSA expects that drivers and their employing motor carrier operating under the terms of this waiver will maintain their safety record and if they do not, FMCSA will revoke the waiver from that particular motor carrier.

You may view and print out the official 90-day waiver published in the Federal Register by clicking here. 

TRALA encourages its members, their customers, and drivers to print out the notice to ensure there is a copy in every rental vehicle that intends to take advantage of this waiver.

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Penske Offers Free, Simple Solutions to Log Hours in Rental Trucks

To help its customers simplify the electronic Hours of Service logging for rental trucks issue, Penske launched the Penske Driver™ mobile app – the truck rental and leasing industry’s first fully integrated, custom app that provides truck drivers with easy Hours of Service (HOS) functionality to meet the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate, and other productivity tools.

Designed to comply with Hours of Service (HOS) regulations for Penske commercial customers who rent trucks, the Penske Driver app is available for Android and iOS/Apple devices.

• The Penske Driver app quickly and easily connects using Bluetooth inside Penske’s rental trucks.
• The app is then integrally synchronized to meet ELD mandate requirements, and it remains connected to ensure the driver is always in compliance.
• Activating the app is easy with assistance from Penske’s rental associates.
• The innovative app was custom built by Penske based on extensive customer and driver research and is supported 24/7 by Penske’s in-house staff.

The Penske Driver app and its related Hours of Service (HOS) solution is free to Penske’s commercial truck rental customers.

In addition to its new app, Penske continues to allow drivers and fleets to use their own portable ELD systems within its rental vehicles.

The Penske Driver app enables truck drivers to:

• Easily log Hours of Service (HOS) in Penske rental vehicles and comply with the ELD mandate.
• Quickly locate Penske Truck Leasing service, rental and fuel locations as well as other locations, including truck stops, CNG stations and public scales.
• Access essential vehicle information, including full visibility into a vehicle’s recent service history.
• Digitally submit fuel receipts with a simple form and receipt photo, virtually eliminating paperwork.

Download a free copy of Penske’s ELD Success Guide here. 

The Penske Driver app is available for immediate free download in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.