An organization representing state law enforcement agencies has asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to extend for 30 days the comment period on the proposed regulations governing electronic logging devices and hours of service supporting documents. The current deadline for comments is May 27.

In its May 7 request, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance said that the supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) discusses “a number of complicated issues” on which FMCSA seeks substantial feedback.

“In particular, the issue of data transmission roadside is critical to an effective ELD rule,” said CVSA Executive Director Stephen Keppler in a letter to FMCSA. “Additional time is needed to fully understand the technology options put forth in the rule and to gather input from the States on their functional capabilities.”

States also need more time to vet the proposal fully and evaluate effects on enforcement in the field, Keppler said. “While timely implementation of the ELD mandate is important, it is also imperative that stakeholders have adequate time to review the proposal and provide feedback. “

Even though the current deadline is nearly three weeks away, more than 800 comments have been filed already on the SNPRM, mostly from drivers and owner-operators.

FMCSA spokesperson Marissa Padilla said that the agency is considering CVSA’s request and anticipates issuing a decision very soon on whether to grant or deny it.