OMAHA, Neb., (Dec. 2, 2004) — One of the largest truckload carriers in North America will become the only trucking company to be granted an exemption from the traditional DOT Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s hours-of-service rules.

Werner Enterprises has been cleared to utilize its Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to record drivers’ hours-of-service as a replacement for paper logbooks or onboard recording devices that meet FMCSA specs.

The two-year exemption is a milestone for Werner Enterprises and the trucking industry, the company said. Werner — a full-service truckload and logistics provider throughout the 48 states, and portions of Canada and Mexico — began pilot-testing its GPS technology for FMCSA review since June 1998.

Based on this experience, FMCSA stated its belief that the exemption achieves a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, that provided by using the current paper log system.

“This is a great day which comes at the end of six years of hard work by many people. We continue to believe that the use of technology will make our highways safer and are proud of the role Werner has played,” Greg Werner, president and COO of Werner Enterprises said in a press release.

Werner uses the Qualcomm OmniTRAC system to transmit data to Werner headquarters where it is processed and stored. A Werner driver can produce logs at a safety inspection two ways. He or she can call for the current log to be displayed on his Qualcomm screen, or the log can be faxed to a phone number.

Werner’s computer always knows a driver’s status and, critically, how much time he or she has available. On its web site, Werner says that better planning enabled by their remote log system has increased driver miles.

FMCSA Administrator, Annette M. Sandberg, will formally sign the exemption at the Werner Corporate Training Center in Omaha today.

This past fall the FMCSA announced it would seek comment on another proposal to make on-board electronic recorders mandatory as part of the amended hours-of-service rule it is required to produce by summer 2005. The FMCSA dropped the plan to include EOBRs — sometimes called ‘black boxes’ — as part of the current HOS regime that went to effect Jan. 4, 2004.

— with files from Truckinfo.com