WASHINGTON, (Nov. 8, 2004) — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration aims to tighten carrier responsibility for verifying driver hours of service and supporting logs according to a notice published last week in the Federal Register.

The notice read in part, “The FMCSA intends to clarify that each motor carrier has the duty under the current regulations to: Verify the accuracy of drivers’ hours of service (HOS) and records of duty status (RODS).”

According to the FMCSA notice “Every motor carrier must systematically and effectively monitor its driver’s hours of service and the accuracy of the information contained on the driver’s record of duty status by comparing paper records of duty status.”

Those records include a long list of documents — from bills of lading, toll receipts and accident reports to credit card records, on-board computer reports and transponder records.

However, “all records may be maintained through the use of automated, electronic, or laser technology systems provided the motor carrier can produce an accurate, legible, and unaltered printed copy of the required data; and provided that alternate means for signature verification are available,” the notice stated.

Also, a carrier’s obligation to verify hours of service and documentation extends beyond company drivers to owner-operators in their service.

The notice is DMS Docket Number FMCSA-1998-3706. Comments can be submitted on the web at http://dms.dot.gov.

— from Truckinginfo.com