ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Tank Truck Carriers is the latest U.S. carrier group to officially endorse mandatory electronic on board logging for the trucking industry.

While NTTC members were known to back the U.S. DOT’s proposal, it withheld making any public proclamation pending new developments in the controversial proposed hours-of-service changes.

The announcement follows that of the National Private Truck Council last week, and those of the Truckload Carriers Association and the American Trucking Associations.

Like the Truckload Carriers Association, the NTTC chooses to not use the term electronic onboard recorders, (EOBRs), preferring electronic logs instead.

"Personally, as a former professional driver myself, I’ve been a strong proponent of in-cab technology for years," said Steve Rush, NTTC chairman and CEO of New Jersey-based Carbon Express. "Our NTTC membership recognizes that ELDs will allow all carriers to equally police themselves which can only lead to safer, better operations across the board"

Rush also said electronic log technology will greatly contribute to improved working conditions for professional drivers, which will be a large factor as capacity tightens and driver recruiting grows more challenging.

The current FMCSA rule, which will go into effect June 4, 2012, says that carriers that violate hours of service rules 10 percent of the time, based on single compliance review, must use electronic onboard recorders to track driver hours.

The rule the agency is now proposing, which will go into effect three years after it is made final, will cover carriers now required to maintain driver logs.