OOIDA speaks out against proposed EOBR mandate

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GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has spoken out against today’s announcement that the US Department of Transportation would be moving to mandate electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs).

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced this morning that it would be introducing legislation that would require all interstate motor carriers to track driver hours of service using EOBRs.

“EOBRs are nothing more than over-priced record keepers,” said Todd Spencer, executive vice-president of OOIDA. “This proposal is actually another example of the administration’s determination to wipe out small businesses by continuing to crank out overly burdensome regulations that simply run up costs.”

OOIDA contends EOBRs cannot accurately and automatically record a driver’s hours of work and duty cycle. Since they require human input, OOIDA argues the devices cannot accurately detect the actual duty cycle of drivers during loading and unloading times.

OOIDA is also worried carriers will use mis-use EOBRs by keeping close tabs on them and pressuring them to return to work while resting.

“Companies can and do use technology to harass drivers by interrupting rest periods,” Spencer insisted. “They can contact the driver and put on pressure to get back on the road to get the most of his or her on-duty time. This mandate would be a step backward in the effort to make highways safer.”

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  • I agree with the above comments, it’s another way to get in our pockets, and the companies that are breaking the law will find another way to do it with these. Is it going to make our roads any safer, NO!!!!

    Who is getting the kickback for these EOBR’s? These wouldn’t be pushed if someone wasn’t making a dime on them.

    The EOBR’s new HOS, and speed limiters, all this legislation needs to be stopped, everyone knows they won’t do one thing to make it any safer out on the road.All of this is being done to satisfy a bunch of activist groups who don’t have anything better to do than sit behind a desk and think they are going to save the world.

    There are 300,000 members of OOIDA and EVERY ONE of them should be writing their law makers to stop this. Everyone also needs to inform the public that what is being proposed is going to cost EVERY consumer more money at the cash register. For example, cutting our driving hours from 11 to 10 is going to put 400,000 more trucks on the road to move the same amount of freight. Plus, parking for trucks is already limited, this is only going to make it worse and force more drivers to risk getting to a spot to park. The media needs to also know about this so the general public can get on their lawmakers about this.

    It’s time to stop Commandant LaHood.

  • As I see it, the trucking industry is rapidly descending in to over regulation. The Airline industry is a prime example of an extremely over regulated industry. What we as truck drivers lack is a strong union. The Airline Pilots Association keeps wages in pace with regulation and responsibility. Here in the trucking industry the drivers are constantly forced to except lower and lower incomes as companies vie for freight and weather the blizzard of new regulations. It seems every new regulation requires new technologies to monitor it. Soon the interior of a new truck will have as many electronics as a small aircraft. With each new attempt to monitor every waking (and sleeping) moment of a drivers working life, there is a reduction in overall productivity of the driver as they are forced to plan their entire day around avoiding violating some DOT regulation . I say the best way to regulate and monitor the drivers HOS is to go low tech and put an electronic time clock in the truck and the driver simply punches the clock. He/she gets a certain number of hours to work each day and that

  • I also agree with the comments above. The only people that will be making money will be the producers of the EROB’s. More trucks will need to be on the road causing more pollution, more congested roadways, and less parking. Has anyone thought about the medical profession who works many hours at once, they have our lives in their hands and their hours are not regulated. This proposal is only hurting the guys like me who are owner/operators with one truck, do I then need to quit driving and file for Obama money?