The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has added an online tool that allows manufacturers of electronic logging devices to test whether their records of duty status (RODS) files will transfer properly to enforcement officers during roadside inspections.
Use of the ELD File Validator, as the agency has dubbed it, is not required of manufacturers to self-certify, FMCSA says. But the agency encourages manufacturers to use the tool “to help the self-certification process go as smoothly as possible.”
The ELD rule requires manufacturers to be equipped with either local connectivity options (Bluetooth or USB 2.0 port) or cloud transfer methods (wireless web service or email). The ELD validator is intended to help manufacturers check whether the files transferred to FMCSA’s central system before relay to officers at roadside can be opened and read by enforcers.
The agency’s self-certification process allows manufacturers to submit their device to an online registry hosted by FMCSA. It gives ELD buyers a list of devices that, according to the manufacturer, meet the requirements stated by the ELD mandate. However, FMCSA does not certify that the devices meet the legal criteria, relying solely on manufacturers’ submissions.
