Waiting Hours: How ELDs Decrease Revenue For Truckers

Waiting hours are nothing new in the trucking industry. Truckers have had to deal with waiting hours for many years. Many drivers are used to not getting paid while they wait at the docks or any pickup point, while a trailer or flatbed is being loaded. However, since electronic logging devices became mandatory in December of 2017, waiting hours could mean even less revenue and higher pressure.

Waiting Hours In The Age Of ELDs

Most truckers are used to waiting. With the ELD mandate, truckers have to log hours while they are waiting. If waiting hours need to be logged for the sake of being on duty, then many truckers feel they should be paid for their time. Yet electronic logging devices pose a threat to the income truckers make.

The Waiting Game

Truckers across the United States need to wait while their trailers are being loaded. What no one anticipated was they truckers needed to be logged into their ELDs for that period. In some cases, this means truck drivers are logged in while waiting for their loads, and then getting one a few hours on the road. This flat out decreases the revenue truckers can earn, and many states, such as Iowa, are pushing for reforms on the electronic logging device mandate so drivers do not see a decrease in revenue.

Billing And Waiting Hours

If truckers have to start their electronic logging devices while they are waiting for loads, it means less pay and less time on the road. While waiting for a truck to be loaded, drivers can lose as much as six hours waiting to get on the road. This only leaves four or five hours to transport things, after all is said and done. Which is why many truckers are pushing for a revision on the ELD mandate, as well as pay for waiting hours. If truckers have to turn on their ELDs while waiting, they are burning hours and not getting paid. Additionally, this means reduced productivity for fleets and a potential loss of customers.

Looking To April

In April, the crackdowns start on the use of ELDs. Between now and then, a number of advocates are making the concerns of truckers known regarding how the ELD mandate inhibits efficiency and pay. Seek out your local representatives and make your voices heard, if you see a gap in delivery due to waiting hours.