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Motor carriers that haul livestock will be exempted from the federal electronic logging device mandate until Sept. 30 under language included in a $1.3 trillion omnibus funding measure the U.S. House of Representatives advanced March 22.

The rapid expansion of onboard technology — electronic logging devices, telematics systems and in-cab video — brings with it the challenge of servicing this equipment. Ensuring that repairs are handled quickly is essential to maximizing utilization and staying compliant with the ELD mandate.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a new slate of guidelines to mitigate confusion over whether livestock haulers, including those who transport their horses, are required to install electronic logging devices on their trucks or possess a commercial driver license.

Complying with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s electronic logging device mandate may create new expenses for new adopters of the technology, but the devices also could generate fuel savings for carriers depending on the type of system they deploy and how they use the data.

Federal trucking regulators are considering granting a one-year exemption from certain technical requirements of the electronic logging device mandate for carriers having difficulty integrating ELD software updates with their fleet managment systems.

Transport Topics' Eugene Mulero hosts this authoritative look at the regulatory and legislative action expected to come out of Washington this year and how it will affect trucking businesses. More at bit.ly/TT-LOW0117.

Tax policy authorizers in the U.S. House pushed a bill that had dropped private activity bonds. Senate authorizers kept the exemption. The GOP tax bill is scheduled for a vote in the House on Dec. 19. House passage will lead to a vote in the Senate soon after. Here's a look at the week ahead for trucking on Capitol Hill.

2017 was a year of anticipation for the freight transportation industry, leading up to the long-awaited Dec. 18 mandate for broad adoption of electronic logging devices to track hours of service.