New bill to study how many truckers are quitting because of ELDs

A North Dakota congressman recently introduced a bill that would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct a study to determine how many truck drivers have left their jobs because of Electronic Logging Device (ELD) regulations.

The H.R.6159 bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on June 20, 2018, by Rep. Kevin Cramer [R-ND-At Large].

In a Facebook post about the bill, Cramer wrote, “I introduced H.R. 6159 to require the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct a study about how many of our great truckers have quit their jobs due to the #ELD requirements. The hard working men and women who drive trucks are the lifeblood of our economy. Let’s support our truckers, not burden them.”

H.R. 6159 asks the Department of Transportation to study “how many “employees” who must comply with the electronic logging device requirements issued pursuant to section 31137(a) of title 49, United States Code, have ceased being operators of a “commercial motor vehicle” as a result of such requirements.”

If passed, the bill would give the Secretary of Transportation 180 days to conduct the study and report their findings to several House committees, including the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Education and the Workforce Committee, the Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives Committee; the bill would also require that the study findings be reported to the Senate Committees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Rep. Cramer has also co-sponsored two other bills, H.R. 5948 and H.R. 5949, which are designed to give small trucking companies and agricultural haulers relief from electronic logging device regulations.