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U.S. Government Warns Motor Carriers to Upgrade Electronic Logging Devices

U.S. Government Warns Motor Carriers to Upgrade Electronic Logging Devices

As mobile carriers continue to shut down their 3G networks this year, motor
carriers with electronic logging devices (ELDs) that rely on a 3G network to
record hours of service data need to upgrade or replace their ELD, the U.S.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said in a bulletin on
Thursday.

Sprint LTE is scheduled to shut down its network on Thursday, T-Mobile on July
1, and Verizon on Dec. 31. Sprint LTE shuts down its network June 30. Other
major mobile carriers shut down their 3G networks earlier this year - AT&T, on
Feb. 22, and Sprint 3G, on March 31.

The FMCSA said ELDs requiring 3G cellular connectivity to operate will no
longer comply with the technical specifications in the ELD rule after the 3G
network it relies on sunsets. In areas that do not support 3G, the device will
malfunction. The carrier has eight days to get the malfunction replaced unless
granted an extension, the agency said.

Carriers should contact their ELD provider to determine if the device relies on
3G. If it does, they should ask the provider to upgrade or replace the ELD with
a compliant device.

"Plan accordingly to avoid service disruptions and compliance issues," the
agency said. "Note that portions of carrier 3G networks will be unsupported in
advance of the announced sunset dates."

--Reporting by Donna Harris, dharris@opisnet.com; Editing by Frank Tang,
ftang@opisnet.com

 
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