FOR THE RECORD
A safety panel on Feb. 8 finalized a report on mitigating the use of electronic onboard recorders to harass drivers that provides suggestions to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The document from FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee contained information the agency should explore in any rulemaking on EOBRs for hours of service compliance.
Following the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in August that vacated the 2010 limited mandate for EOBRs for certain noncompliant carriers, the harassment issue may be the key consideration for the agency. The agency has expressed intent to devise a rule that mandates some version of electronic logging devices for virtually all trucks in interstate commerce.
Harassment issues relative to electronic logs cover driver relationships with law enforcement personnel and with carriers, tilting heavily toward the latter and favoring drivers’ positions in certain instances. For example, a Feb. 8 draft said, “Drivers should be able to save records of carrier contact with drivers.”
The statement was presented relative to an item about the difficulty of regulating the role EOBRs can play in hours of service compliance.
