Starting in December 2017, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) began requiring the use of an electronic logging device (ELD) for most drivers. This includes drivers who must prepare and submit a record of duty status (RODS) or hours-of-service (HOS) report. The mandate also included design and performance standards as well as the requirement for drivers to obtain ELD certification and register with the FMCSA. As with most electronic equipment, however, things can occasionally go wrong with the ELD. We’ll go over some of the common messages you might see and what these ELD malfunctions mean.
5 common ELD malfunctions.
Data recording Compliance Malfunction
You will see this error on your ELD when the device has run out of capacity to record or retain hours and other data. The ELD is also unable to retrieve recorded logs unless the motor carrier stores them remotely.
Engine Synchronization Compliance
An engine synchronization compliance error can occur when the engine control module (ECM) loses connectivity to required data sources such as engine hours, engine power status, miles driven, or vehicle motion status for more than 30 minutes of any 24-hour period for all drivers using the commercial vehicle.
Positioning Compliance Malfunction
This error will appear when the ELD cannot retrieve a valid measurement of position after you have been driving the commercial vehicle for at least five miles. You will also see the positioning compliance malfunction error when more than 60 minutes have passed without the device picking up the correct position.
Power Compliance Malfunction
When a power compliance malfunction occurs, it means that power is unavailable for in-motion driving time of at least 30 minutes during the last 24 hours. This is true across all driver profiles.
Timing Compliance
This type of malfunction happens when the ELD can meet the FMCSA compliance requirement and fails to record Coordinated Universal Time. The time on the ELD must synchronize with Coordinated Universal Time and can’t exceed absolute deviation of more than 10 minutes at any time during the driver’s route.
What to do if you receive an ELD error
If these or any other errors display on your screen, be sure to provide your motor carrier with a written notice of the malfunction within 24 hours. You will also need to reconstruct your RODS for the current period of 24 hours and the past seven days. With the ELD out of service, you should record your RODS on graphing paper or electronic software that complies with the regulations of 49 CFR 395.8. The one exception to this is if you already have the records or you’re able to retrieve them from your ELD.
You will need to continue recording your RODS manually until the ELD for your commercial vehicle is back in service. However, you should not do this for more than eight days as you will receive an out-of-service order at that point.
Anyways, it’s helpful to know about these ELD malfunctions and what they mean.
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Source:
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hours-service/elds/faqs
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hours-service/elds/eld-malfunctions-and-data-diagnostic-events