A draft text of a bill, authored by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, is now circulating. The bill mandates Electronic On-Board Recorders to track Hours of Service compliance for all commercial vehicles owned or operated by motor carriers. EOBRs are used to monitor a driver’s compliance with Federal hours-of-service regulations. The new bill is in contrast to what many thought the proposed EOBR rulemaking would only be applicable to motor carriers that have demonstrated a history of serious noncompliance with the hours of service rules subjected to the mandatory installation of EOBRs.
The EOBR final rule is now under review by Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and is scheduled to be published in October. The proposed regulation for EOBRs include the installation of the devices on trucks and buses; synchronization to the vehicle engine or equipment; identity of the operator; the ability for law enforcement personnel to access the information contained in the recorder quickly and easily during a roadside inspection; and is tamper-proof. Law makers are considering a tax-break provision that would allow truckers to save money on the purchase of an EOBR.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
