WASHINGTON, D.C. — The US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued a regulatory proposal that would require virtually  all interstate commercial truck companies to use electronic on-board recorders (EOBRS) to monitor driver hours-of-service.

The requirement would include any Canadian trucking company operating in the US.

To help sell the proposal, the FMCSA pointed out it would also relieve carriers from having to retain documentation such as delivery and toll receipts currently used to verify the number of hours a driver has been behind the wheel.

“We cannot protect our roadways when commercial truck and bus companies exceed hours-of-service rules,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This proposal would make our roads safer by ensuring that carriers travelling across state lines are using EOBRs to track the hours their drivers spend behind the wheel.”

The proposed law would affect all interstate carriers that currently use records of duty logbooks to document hours-of-service compliance. Short-haul carriers that use timecards would not be required to install EOBRs, the FCMSA announced.

Carriers that violate the proposed law would face penalties of up to US$11,000 for each offense.

“This proposal is an important step in our efforts to raise the safety bar for commercial carriers and drivers,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “We believe broader use of EOBRs would give carriers and drivers an effective tool to strengthen their HOS compliance.”

You can download the proposed rule under the Documents heading on the right-hand side of this Web page.