ATA calls for swift mandate on electronic logging devices

Arlington, VA – The American Trucking Associations has filed formal comments urging the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to swiftly issue a mandate for commercial truck drivers to use electronic logging devices.

The devices, previously referred to as electronic onboard recorders, are intended to monitor drivers’ compliance with federal hours-of-service regulations. FMCSA wants to require carriers to install the devices as part of a proposed rule that would replace a 2010 final rule the agency vacated in 2011 after an appeals court determined that carriers might use the devices to harass drivers into working longer hours.

In its comments, ATA said it is confident that the devices would improve compliance with HOS regulations. ATA also included about a half-dozen recommendations intended to improve FMCSA’s proposal, such as offering incentives to use the technology ahead of the mandate.

FMCSA’s proposed rule has prompted debate and led the agency to extend its official comment period by 30 days in late May. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has said FMCSA did not collect sufficient feedback from drivers who currently use the devices.