Independent owner-operators will likely need to configure two types of electronic logging device accounts for the ELD mandate that takes effect Dec. 18, said a federal official.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration representatives addressed driversâ concerns about the mandate Thursday at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas.
Independents will need a driver account and a support personnel account, given the nature of their roles as drivers and in administration of their business, said Danielle Smith, a transportation specialist in FMCSAâs passenger carrier division. âOne account is not going to let you do both operations,â she said.
ELD accounts are established through driversâ and carriersâ devices. Driver accounts are established with a driverâs name, CDL number and unique user name.
Driver accounts record driversâ hours, whereas support accounts do not. Support accounts are meant for carrier personnel to perform administrative tasks like verifying logs, performing yard moves and downloading ELD data, among other uses.
ELD accounts are not allowed to be used by more than one person, Smith said, but users are allowed to have multiple accounts, as in the case of owner-operators needing both a driver account and a support account.
Upon adopting an ELD, drivers must have in their truck a user manual for their device, data transfer instructions, ELD malfunction instructions from the manufacturer, a supply of blank paper log books and paper supporting documents, said LaTonya Mimms, a transportation specialist in FMCSAâs enforcement division.
