Certain carriers will be required to install electronic on-board recorders in all of their commercial vehicles, and others will be given incentives for voluntary use, according to a rule proposed January 11 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is supporting the proposal. “We are pleased that DOT (Department of Transportation) has taken another solid step toward ensuring future gains in improved highway safety,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “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.”
The proposal would require carriers with a history of serious hours-of-service violations may be required to install the electronic recorders and use them for a minimum of two years. Voluntary incentives would include using a random sample of drivers’ records of duty status as part of a company compliance review and partial relief from hours-of-service (HOS) supporting document requirements. FMCSA also is seeking suggestions for other possible incentives.
The proposal would require the equipment to record basic information needed to track a driver’s duty status, including identity of the driver, date, time and location of the commercial vehicle, and distance traveled.
Another requirement calls for the use of global positioning system (GPS) technology or other tracking systems to automatically identify the location of the vehicle.
On-board HOS recording devices that are installed in commercial vehicles manufactured on or after two years from the effective date of a final rule would have to meet the new technical requirements, but recorders voluntarily installed before that time would be allowed to continue for the life of the vehicle.
FMCSA said the proposal will be published in the Federal Register January 18, 2007, and public comments will be accepted until April 18, 2007.