OOIDA speaks out against electronic logging device proposal

Grain Valley, MO – The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is encouraging truckers to comment on – and address safety issues related to – a recent proposal that would require truck and bus drivers to use electronic logging devices to track their compliance with hours-of-service regulations.

OOIDA claims that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has not collected sufficient feedback from drivers who currently use the devices – previously referred to as electronic onboard recorders – about how the devices may force drivers to work in unsafe conditions. The potential for carriers to use the devices to harass drivers resulted in FMCSA vacating a previous rule in 2011.

OOIDA also stated in a press release that FMCSA failed to address in its proposal how the devices would automatically record the times that truck and bus employees are working even when they are not driving, which was a requirement in the 2012 surface transportation funding bill known as MAP-21. Electronic logging devices are not capable of differentiating between times when drivers are off-duty and resting, or are on-duty but not behind the wheel, such as loading and unloading the vehicle, OOIDA claims.

Comments on the proposal are due May 27.