The FMCSA, in compliance with the settlement agreement in the lawsuit brought by Public Citizen and other public interest groups, sent its new proposed hours of service (HOS) regulations to the White House. The FMCSA now has until July 2011 to publish the new rule.
The HOS regulations govern how long a truck driver can work before having…
One of the startling numbers that have been released from the 2010 Roadcheck was that violations for false logs were up over 18% from 2009. I have previously blogged about the problems with false logs and how tired truckers are dangerous truckers who are 2.5 times more likely to be in a wreck. While electric on-board recorders (EOBR’s) are a…
Ken Shigley recently posted an entry on his trucking blog entitled "Five common sense ideas for reducing the risk of truck driver fatigue." Ken has a lot of things right with this post but one thing I believe is wrong is not asking for a 6th common sense reform, and that is simply to…
The FMCSA just issued its final rule on Electric On Board Recorders (EOBR’s) which replace paper driver logs. Paper logs are often called comic books in the industry because the contents are so funny, because they are so false. A switch to EOBR’s will try to eliminate this known problem in the trucking industry. The full text of…
Schneider has replaced 1/4 of its fleets’ computers to allow for EOBR’s and better navigation. The replacements began in October of 2009 and Schneider is reportedly installing Qualcomm MCP200 units. The units allow cellular, Wi-Fi, and Internet connections for the driver.
I predict within the next three years that Congress will mandate Electric On Board Recorders (EOBR) because EOBR’s make the trucking industry safer. While the FMCSA has a final rule to require EOBR’s on about 1,000 motor carriers, I would expect that this rule will be significantly expanded. While EOBR’s can still be faked, and I have blogged on…
In a welcome change to regulations regarding hours of service for drivers, companies are now required by the FMCSA to save satellite GPS information that shows the location of the truck. This will increase a company’s ability to enforce safe trucking policies, and the law, which limits the number of hours a driver can be on the…
I have discussed the hours of service regulations extensively in prior posts. It is my position, and I believe most non-industry safety professional that drivers are on the road too many hours of the day, resulting in needless and preventable accidents.
The FMCSA has sent the new HOS rule to the White House for review.
EOBR’s (Electric On Board Recorder’s) have been the subject of earlier posts and on the whole are a step forward for safety. EOBR’s can be very beneficial in ensuring tired truckers are not allowed on the roads in violation of the law. Unfortunately there are ways to "fix" the EOBR’s to allow violations of the FMCSR…
Electronic On Board Recorders (EOBR’s) have been touted as the best way to eliminate chronic Hours of Service (HOS) violations which lead to fatigue, a major cause of trucking collisions. For example on Aug 9, 2007 the Chattanooga Times reported that in an Atlanta collision which killed 4, the driver state "he had fallen asleep at the…