Are you ready for EOBRs? For five years now, the trucking industry has been wrestling with the notion that it will be faced with a mandate for electronic onboard recorders (EOBRs).
That's right; five full years have passed since the concept of an EOBR mandate was introduced to the industry via an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register. In that time, the industry has gone from panic to acceptance of a technology that could indeed save lives. It is no longer a guess as to whether or not EOBRs will be required, but rather how and when.
What was shaping up to be a final EOBR regulation from FMCSA early this year was rescinded by the Obama administration and sent back to the agency for further review. Now undergoing yet another review by the White House Office of Management and Budget, a final rule could be issued as early as this fall, ending what seems to be a regulatory eternity. The trucking industry is not alone in thinking an EOBR regulation has been a long time coming. EOBRs: FACT vs. FICTION. Electronic onboard recorders (EOBRs) have been around for more than 20 years, over which time their functionality has progressed steadily, making them an indispensible tool for many fleets focused on improving safety, efficiency and customer service.
While the tools have gotten better and better, however, the debate over their proper place in America's fleet has been anything but smooth. Just when it looked like a rulemaking on EOBRs from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was going to be issued last year, the final policy review was not completed prior to the administration change, leaving fleets puzzled over the eventual role EOBRs may (or may not) play in their own operations. Inevitably, rumors and conjecture have been filling in the gap. Fleet Owner had the opportunity to talk with some industry experts about what they see ahead, particularly regarding the use of EOBRs for driver hours of service (HOS) compliance: Rep.
Q: What is CSA 2010? Yes. EOBR suppliers. PeopleNet reports positive EOBR case study. While the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has yet to issue a final rule on electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) for tracking hours-of-service (HOS) compliance, at least one fleet says it is benefiting from its voluntarily use of EOBRs.
Brian McLaughlin, vp-marketing & product planning for PeopleNet, presented Shaw Industries’ experience with PeopleNet’s eDriver Log EOBR solution as a case study during the annual technology summit in Princeton, NJ, sponsored by ALK Technologies, providers of the PC*Miler and CoPilot transportation solutions. Dalton, GA-based Shaw is the world’s largest producer of carpets and operates one of the largest private fleets in the nation, fielding over 1100 power units piloted by some 1400 drivers. According to McLaughlin, Shaw’s use of EOBRs from March 2004 to March 2007 resulted in a 53% reduction in violations per month. Shaw saw a72% reduction in its drivers’ out-of-service rate and a 47% reduction in driver out-of-service inspections.