Recently we talked to a very large fleet (85,000 employees worldwide) who said they were told that the ELD they were using would not be certified. Some ELD providers and fleets believe self-certification isn’t required.
Whether it’s required or not can be debated. What’s not debatable is that every fleet deserves to know that the ELD you choose will be compliant with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). If not, you’ll be the one in violation and out the money it will take to get in compliance.
Some vendors haven’t certified their product yet because they believe regulations will change again. We’ve spoken with people at the FMCSA. Regulations aren’t changing again before December. There’s no reason for companies not to get their product in compliance, certify it, and get it on the FMCSA list. The whole process takes 10 minutes. As long as an ELD is compliant, there’s no reason not to certify it.
Third Party Certification
There are third party companies out there who will certify the compliance of an ELD and oversee the process for an ELD vendor. This is great for our industry. We need more of it. But not all third party certification is alike. The PIT Group, which provides this service, doesn’t check every single one of the 400-plus tests. They simply audit a sampling of procedures. This is good, certainly better than nothing at all, but it’s not great.
Here at Gorilla Safety, we wanted to be completely sure our product was in full compliance. To do that we hired KPMG, one of the Big 4 accounting/auditing firms, to check our work. They reviewed every single test. They reviewed every single procedure. They also reviewed every single result. It was a huge process for them and us, but it means we can stand by our product no matter what. It also means our customers have complete peace of mind.
Look for a Certified ELD
To be fair, the FMCSA still hasn’t completed the web portal necessary for the ELD. We’ve been told, by the FMCSA, that as long as we build our system right, it will work with the portal. We’re even participating in a test with them to make sure their side works with our side. Let’s be clear here, no matter what’s going on with the FMCSA, they’re not going to let their web portal halt the entire industry’s compliance with the ELD mandate. It’s too big and too important.
If a vendor offering you an ELD product says they aren’t certified yet or that they won’t be certified at all, ask yourself why. Most of the companies who are in the first category will get there. But why are we this close to the deadline, and it still hasn’t been done? And if a company says they’re not worried about certification at all, ask them why. Knowing that your ELD is compliant with the mandate isn’t just good business, it’s good for your peace of mind. You should have a product that you know will work and keep you in compliance.
You’re going to have a lot of choices out there for an ELD. You need to make the best decision for your company. Our advice, even if we’re not the company you choose, is to select an ELD that is self-certified and reviewed by a third party. Review the testing procedures, too, so you can feel comfortable with the third party they used. Make sure the company is certified, compliant, and willing to put themselves on the FMCSA list before you sign on the dotted line.
Want to know more about the Gorilla Safety certification process and our results? We’re happy to share that information with you. Contact us today and let’s talk.
