We’re so excited about the new guidance from the FMCSA. It’s great news worth celebrating. The July 10th guidance by the FMCSA clarifying just how legal electronic logbooks and electronic signatures are (spoiler: they’re extremely legal) has been a long time coming. This is the story of how you made that happen with help from BigRoad staff and some folks in enforcement.
BigRoad staff and users have been hard at work helping to educate DOT officers and other enforcement officials about the benefits of using an electronic logbook app to record and exchange records of duty status. We’ve had a lot of support from all of you awesome BigRoad customers and some enforcement officials.
It has always been legal to use BigRoad to create and store daily logs and for inspectors to review logs on your screen. We occasionally encounter inspectors who are unfamiliar with electronic logbooks that aren’t connected to the engine and BigRoad has worked closely with them, pointing out regulatory details that give drivers the freedom to use smart devices to manage their logs.
We’re working hard to keep your roadside inspections easy
We’ve had one-on-one calls with DOT officers, inspectors, commercial vehicle enforcement training coordinators, and regional enforcement coordinators throughout the United States. We’ve done webinars and on-site training for several state agencies. In the rare case of a citation, we’ve helped customers submit the proper information via DataQ and find legal support to fight the citation.
Our Chief Operating Officer, Terry Frey, spoke directly with the FMCSA’s Associate Administrator for Enforcement, Bill Quade, about our concerns regarding the inconsistent handling of electronic logbooks at the roadside, as well as the existence of some old guidance in the regulations that was confusing and misleading. After all that…
FMCSA updates their guidance on electronic logbook apps
It looks like the FMCSA was listening! On July 10, 2014 the FMCSA updated their previous guidance making it clear that it is always legal to use an electronic logbook and for inspectors to inspect the logbook using the screen. They also clarified that although you have to produce a paper copy on demand if requested, you do not need to have anything printed in advance of an inspection. We think this new guidance will help ensure that BigRoad users experience consistent, simple inspections with no violations.
Get our new driver card
Download our new driver card today, which includes the latest regulatory updates and instructions on how to present your record of duty status during a roadside inspection.
Stay citation-free at the roadside with BigRoad
Do you have a printer in your cab for roadside printing? Now is the time to add one if you haven’t already.
Our advice: Practice printing using your cellular internet before you need it. Check out our page about printers to find out which ones will work with your device.
It’s easy to create flawless logbooks with BigRoad. Avoid risk by checking your logbook before you go out on the road – are your logs signed and error-free?
Need to upgrade from messy paper logs?
If you’re not already using BigRoad, check out our free electronic logbook app to keep your driver logs and ensure you don’t end up out of hours. Download it for free and you can get started right away. You can even fill in past days using the edit function.
If you have any questions, drop us a line: [email protected]. We’d be happy to help!
Thanks to all our users for being ambassadors for BigRoad and electronic logbooks!