On December 16, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a final rule in the Federal Register requiring the use of electronic logging devices (ELDs) for drivers required to prepare hours-of-service records of duty status. According to the agency, approximately three million drivers will be impacted. Keep reading to find out how.
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“Since 1938, complex, on-duty/off-duty logs for truck and bus drivers were made with pencil and paper, virtually impossible to verify,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “This automated technology not only brings logging records into the modern age, it also allows roadside safety inspectors to unmask violations of federal law that put lives at risk.”
The FMCSA believes the use of ELDs, which synchronize with a vehicle engine to automatically record driving time, will improve compliance with hours of service (HOS) rules by reducing the paperwork burden for motor carriers and drivers and by increasing the efficiency of law enforcement personnel in reviewing driver records. The agency estimates that the rule will save 26 lives and prevent 562 injuries annually.