FMCSA Passes Rule Requiring EOBRs on Certain Carriers
The question of having Electronic Onboard Recorders on commercial trucks has been out there for several years.The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has finally made its decision. The agency has adopted a rule that will require electronic onboard recorders to be installed on the vehicles of trucking companies that are found to exceed the hours of service rules by 10%.
Failure to comply during a single review is good enough to impose the EOBR rule on a carrier. Carriers found to be in violation of hours of service for more than 10% of the time in a single review will be required to have the recorders installed for a period of two years.
The FMCSA not only requires such recorders on trucks that violate driver work hours, but it also specifies standard for these recorders. The devices must be synchronized with the engine, because this will ensure greater accuracy. Using GPS systems would not have been able to deliver the same kind of accuracy that the FMCSA rule will now require. The device must record essential information that can later be accessed by federal safety agencies, including the name of the driver, duty status, truck location, number of miles traveled, and other important details.
The rule is another step forward in ensuring fewer accidents related to driver fatigue. It’s part of a series of measures that the FMCSA has been taking in order to minimize the number of accidents caused by fatigue and drowsy drivers. The agency is currently in the process of reviewing the Hours of Service rules under great pressure from Atlanta truck accident lawyersandGeorgia personal injury lawyers. A decision on that rule is expected to be out over the next few months.