Truck and bus companies with a history of hours-of-service violations may be required to install electronic on-board recorders in all of their commercial vehicles for a minimum of two years, says a proposed rule announced yesterday by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

The proposed rule would also work to encourage industry-wide use of electronic on-board recorders (EOBR) by providing incentives for voluntary use, said John H. Hill, FMCSA Administrator.

Specifically, the proposal would require EOBRs to record basic information needed to track a driver’s duty status, including:

identity of the driver,
duty status,
date,
time and location of the commercial vehicle,
and distance traveled.

The proposal would also add a new requirement to use Global Positioning System (GPS) technology or other location tracking systems to automatically identify the location of the vehicle in an effort to reduce the likelihood of falsified HOS information.

To provide incentives for voluntary use, EOBRs voluntarily installed before two years from the effective date of a final rule would be allowed to continue for the life of the vehicle. Those installed in commercial vehicles manufactured after that date would have to meet these new technical requirements.

If the proposed rule is adopted, FMCSA estimates that within the first two years of enforcement approximately 930 carriers with 17,500 drivers would be required to use electronic on-board recorders.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) announced its support for the FMCSA’s proposed rule regarding the use of EOBRs on commercial vehicles.

“We are pleased that DOT has taken another solid step toward ensuring future gains in improved highway safety,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves in a press release. “We support this incentive-based approach to the use of electronic on-board recorders. Technology can play a significant role in enhancing road safety and help to ensure the reliability of commercial vehicle operation.”