The April 1 deadline for full enforcement of the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate draws closer, US regulators are struggling with how to implement ELDs in specific sub-sectors of trucking, especially agricultural shipping and truck rental and leasing operations.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said Tuesday it would give truckers hauling agricultural goods an additional 90-day temporary waiver from the ELD mandate. That keeps the clock running on an existing agriculture transport ELD waiver that will expire March 18.

That’s good news for agricultural shippers, including livestock owners, who feared strict out-of-service enforcement of ELD violations would sideline trucks and disrupt food supply chains starting April 1, just as the US spring produce season starts rolling in the South.

The FMCSA also acknowledged a petition for a new ELD waiver  for drivers renting or leasing vehicles less than 30 days. Those truckers have an ELD waiver through April 19, but the Truck Renting and Leasing Association (TRALA) wants to extend the waiver through Dec. 31, 2018.

“TRALA states that the waiver period, which is limited to 90 days, is not sufficient to address the ELD problems that they and their short-term lessors are encountering,”the agency said in a Federal Register notice Tuesday.

They want additional time to develop “compliance strategies.”