To develop compliance test procedures for ELD testing with respect to the functional specifications included in the Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM), Docket No. FMCSA–2010–0167, RIN 2126–AB20. This effort will also require the development of a training manual to ensure that all ELDs are tested using the same procedures, as well as a verification process to ensure that the test procedures are sufficient to evaluate ELDs properly.

In an effort to improve commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety and reduce the overall paperwork burden for both motor carriers and drivers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a SNPRM on March 28, 2014, to require motor carriers currently subject to records of duty status (RODS) preparation requirements to use ELDs. To ensure consistency among manufacturers and devices, functional specifications were published within the SNPRM. Providers’ certification of compliance with these functional specifications is required; however, they are not required to use the test procedures developed within this contract. FMCSA intends to use these procedures to confirm compliance of an ELD if independent testing and validation are needed or desired.

This program was established with a 1-year cooperative agreement to create a compliance test procedure and a subsequent cooperative agreement to provide technical support. In the first year, the contractor developed test procedures, a template for consistent reporting of test results, and training materials; validated the developed test procedure on a sample subset of ELD-like systems available on the market; and made FMCSA-recommended changes to the test plans, procedures, and tools. After final approval of the test procedure, there was a 1-year period of technical support to provide guidance to ELD providers that were performing their own certification test(s) using the compliance test procedure.

Compliance test procedure, training manual, technical support.

February 2015: Contract awarded
November 2015: Test procedure finalized
January 2016: Test procedure published
June 2016-2017: Technical support

FY 2016: $300,000

Complete—Final test procedures were published in January 2016 and are available at: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hours-service/elds/eld-test-procedures. The technical support phase of the project is complete.

MaineWay Services and Integrated Technology Solutions, Inc.