The requirements for maintaining electronic trip records have been updated and are spelled out with specifics. This change impacts records produced by Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) using latitude and longitude coordinates.
These new requirements go into effect January 1, 2024.
Electronic records must be created and maintained at a minimum of every 15 minutes when the vehicle's engine is on.
Electronic records that product latitude and longitude readings and contain the following items are considered acceptable and adequate for an IRP audit:
Original GPS location data for the vehicle. The latitude and longitude should include a minimum of 4 decimal places for each system reading.
Date and time of each system reading
Odometer reading from the engine control module (ECM) for each system reading. (If not odometer reading is available from the ECM, a begin and end dashboard odometer or hub reading for the trip will be acceptable.)
Vehicle ID number (VIN) or vehicle unit number
The tracking data needs to be accessible in a electronic spreadsheet format such as XLS, XLSX, CSV or delimited text file. ELD systems that provide the data in an image or document-type (PDF, JPG, PNG or DOC) are not considered an accessible format.
Also take note - some ELD systems may condense, edit or delete distance data and may not be reliable for reporting or audits. It is YOUR responsibility, as a company and driver, to ensure that your distance records are IRP compliant.
If you have any questions about these new regulations, or wonder if your system is compliant, contact WT Fleet Services. We are happy to guide you and help you be audit-ready.