The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Monday announced that the PowerTrucks ELD has been reinstated to its Registered ELDs list.
The device was one of 10 removed from the list on December 1, and the second one to make it back on the list after the CI ELD Logs device by CV Options LLC was reinstated on December 8.
FMCSA originally said it placed those ELDs on the Revoked Devices list due to the providers’ failure to meet the minimum requirements established in 49 CFR part 395, subpart B, appendix A (functional specifications for ELDs).
Now any drivers using the PowerTrucks ELD or CI ELD Logs device can put it back into service rather than having to revert back to paper logs or logging software.
[Related: 10 ELDs removed from FMCSA's 'Registered Devices' list]
Drivers with the other eight recently revoked ELDs have 60 days to revert to paper logs and decide on a replacement if the device isn't reinstated -- and good luck getting more time on that front. ELDs needing repair/replacement due to a malfunction get just eight days to get the job done, and extensions there are routine -- not so for the 60-day revoked-device grace period.
Mike Riegel, who owns Blue Ink Tech (provider of the BIT ELD), early this year told Overdrive how the FMCSA goes about reviewing and revoking ELDs. Riegel said back in February the agency is currently "cracking down on ELD providers who sell products that don’t 100% align with the ELD mandate," and notes that any time a driver is transferring their hours data to an inspector, the inspector is checking that not just the driver, but the ELD itself, is compliant.
[Related: Why FMCSA keeps revoking ELDs, and how to tell if yours is next]
Riegel said frequently FMCSA will contact the ELD provider and give them 72 hours to make changes, or at least outline a plan of action, if anything looks wrong.
ELD providers that can't clear that bar may have some red flags as far as long-term operability goes, but ELD providers have in the past told Overdrive they hadn't heard anything from FMCSA before having their device removed from the approved list.
