Will Tractor Trailers be Required to Have Electronic Onboard Recorders?
Driving while overly tired is a potentially dangerous problem that the federal government is continuing to address. Electronic onboard recording devices can be used to record the number of hours the tractor trailer is operating. This is important to make sure truck drivers are complying with the federally mandated hours of service rules which prevent a commercial truck driver from driving too many hours without taking a break. Driving over hours has been found to cause fatigue which can lead to serious injury accidents.
Electronic onboard recording devices are not yet required on all tractor trailers in Florida or the U.S., but some trucking companies have voluntarily installed electronic onboard recorders onto their tractor trailers, 18 wheelers and semi trucks, as they are often called. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (which regulates commercial truck drivers and the trucking industry) is considering a proposal that would require the devices either for all tractor trailers covered by the federal regulations or at least trucking companies that have been found in violation of the hours of service rule at least 10% of the time after at least two compliance reviews. A copy of the proposed rule can be found here. Companies will be periodically audited by government transportation officials to make sure they are in compliance with the hours of service rules and other regulations designed to govern the trucking industry. Tractor trailer drivers are required to maintain log books which specifically document when they are driving or otherwise on-duty and when they are off-duty. However, these documents are prepared by the drivers themselves and are subject to their inclination to tell the truth.
Tractor trailer drivers are often asked to drive long hours to get cargo to its destination. This can result in overly tired drivers who are impaired to the extent that they can no longer safely driver their tractor trailers. Serious accidents involving significant injuries or death have been documented to occur as a result of driver fatigue. That issue has been discussed previously on this blog. Where trucking companies and tractor trailer drivers have been found in violation of the hours of service requirements in the past, a rule requiring them to have an electronic onboard recording device installed in their trucks would be a more objective way to ensure they are following the rules and help to prevent truck drivers from driving while overly tired.
