Electronic logging devices mandate, hours of service top truckers’ list of concerns: survey

Las Vegas – A federal requirement to use electronic logging devices in place of paper logs to record hours of service is the top issue affecting motor carriers, commercial motor vehicle drivers and other industry stakeholders, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Arlington, VA-based American Transportation Research Institute (the research arm of the American Trucking Associations).

Concerns about the ELD mandate surpassed concerns about HOS rules, which dropped from the survey’s top spot for the first time since 2012.

Respondents’ top 10 concerns are:

• ELD mandate
• Hours of service
• Cumulative impact of trucking regulations on the industry
• Truck parking
• Economy
• Compliance, Safety, Accountability
• Driver shortage
• Driver retention
• Infrastructure/congestion/funding
• Driver distraction

“The results of ATRI’s survey reflect what I’ve heard from carriers and drivers as I’ve traveled the country this year on behalf of ATA,” ATA Chairman Pat Thomas, senior vice president for state government affairs at UPS, said in a press release. “The ever-increasing regulatory burdens placed on the industry, coupled with the sluggish economy, are creating challenges for trucking as we work hard to keep America moving forward.”

The survey garnered more than 3,200 responses from motor carriers and CMV drivers. Results were released Oct. 3 at the 2016 Management Conference and Exhibition of the American Trucking Associations meeting.