Trucking Industry Opposing Change to Electronic Monitors
A plan to move recordkeeping for the hours truckers spend behind the wheel from the pen-and-paper to the electronic era is meeting some resistance from the trucking industry.
The Federal Transportation Department has proposed switching all commercial trucks and buses in the Unites States from logbooks kept by hand to electronic on-board recorders. The recorders and logs are required under federal rules to ensure drivers receive adequate breaks and rest.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will soon require electronic on-board recorders for operators with significant safety violations. Some trucking companies, especially those with large fleets, have made use of them voluntarily, in part to help increase their own efficiency.
However, smaller trucking companies and owner-operators are objecting to the switch. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association says the Transportation Department’s estimate for installing the electronic recorders, about $2,000 per truck, is based on larger fleets that can make the switch more cost-efficiently because of their size. The recorders also will require an on-going service fee, which the independent trucking groups estimate at $25 to $50 per month per truck, to monitor the data. Other costs include training for drivers and office staff. Meanwhile, the Transportation Department estimates savings of at least $334 million annually across the industry. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has warned that the recorders may not be accurate.
If approved, the rule change would likely not take effect until 2015. The proposal comes shortly after another proposed federal rule change to shorter the number of hours a driver can spend behind the wheel each day. The trucking industry will use its considerable influence to fight these rule changes the federal government sees as an improvement to highway safety.
Statistics from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration show that large trucks account for 13 percent of all passenger vehicle deaths, yet represented only 3 percent of all registered vehicles. In addition, driver fatigue may be a factor in up to 40 percent of truck accidents.
If someone in your family has been injured in an accident involving a truck, the attorneys of Munley, Munley & Cartwright can advise you. Contact us at (800)318-LAW1 or submit a free online case evaluation.
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