The National Waste & Recycling Association has filed comments with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requesting an industrywide exemption from the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate. The comments were filed in response to a request for public input contained in an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on drivers’ hours of service (HOS) regulations issued by FMCSA and the Department of Transportation.

In the comments by NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith, the association notes the safety benefits that ELDs present for other sectors while demonstrating that such devices are counterproductive for the waste and recycling industry by increasing the risks associated with distracted driving.

“NWRA calls upon FMCSA to recognize the unique nature of waste and recycling collection operations and create an industrywide exemption as it already has done for the ready-mix concrete and asphalt pavement industries,” said Smith in a statement.

The association cites those exemptions and requests the same for the waste and recycling industry based upon its similarities to them. Waste and recycling companies operate local route service trucks with drivers starting and ending their days at the same location, rarely traveling beyond a 40-mile radius. The frequency with which waste and recycling industry drivers must interact with ELDs due to the start-and-stop nature of collection creates a hazard unlike other industries must face.

Here are some of the comments NWRA submitted to FMCSA:

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) submits these comments on behalf of the waste and recycling industry in response to a request for public input from FMCSA and DOT contained in the ANPRM on Hours of Service of Drivers; Docket No. FMCSA–2018–0248.

We appreciate FMCSA’s recognition of the challenges that the Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) mandate presents to Hours of Service (HOS) compliance for certain specialized industries and its willingness to consider changes to address these issues. NWRA calls upon FMCSA to recognize the unique nature of waste and recycling collection operations and create an industrywide exemption as it already has done for the ready-mix concrete and asphalt pavement industries.

Safety is the top concern for NWRA and our members. We want every single member of our industry to make it home each day safely, without a crash, and free from injury or fatality. While NWRA recognizes the safety benefits that ELDs present for other sectors, these devices are actually counterproductive for our industry and increase risks associated with distracted driving due to the frequency that waste and recycling industry drivers must interact with them.