Although they’ve only recently hit the news in a big way, electronic onboard recorders have been approved for use in lieu of handwritten records in the United States and Canada for 20 years. EOBRs, as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration calls them, produce paperless electronic truck-driver logs compliant with the federal hours-of-service rules.
EOBR’s were first approved for use in October 1988. In the past twenty years, various groups have called for mandating EOBR use in the name of highway safety. And while it’s almost a Pavlovian reaction for any group, including truckers, to take a negative view of any technology advocated by a vocal pressure group, the fact is that thousands of fleets have adopted EOBRs — even though their use remains voluntary and they are not inexpensive.
Why do fleets spend money on onboard technology? The answer is simple: Fleets implement technology when it increases their returns through increased safety, higher revenue miles, lower operating costs or all of the above. Onboard computers perform many functions that affect the bottom line, only one of which is the ability to keep paperless logs.
It’s not bad public relations, either. Safety and the public’s perception of commercial vehicles and the trucking industry go hand in hand, particularly in the case of an accident. The implementation of an onboard computer system, including an EOBR, creates the positive impression that a company cares about safety and is committed to giving its drivers a reasonable and legal work schedule.
Onboard computers that measure driving performance give the driver feedback on critical driving habits that directly influence safety and fuel efficiency. And an EOBR makes it easier to measure hours-of-service compliance, providing the tools to adjust dispatch schedules with greater efficiency.
It’s also worth noting that this type of professional onboard environment has been shown to improve driver retention — a somewhat surprising development, given all the warnings that drivers confronted with EOBRs and other such onboard devices would simply walk away and find another profession.
A recent survey conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute, a nonprofit research organization affiliated with American Trucking Associations, noted, “Motor carriers using EOBRs have not experienced the negative impacts on driver retention expected by the motor carrier nonusers.”
Perhaps the drivers are simply happy to hand over the perpetual headache of recordkeeping. Increasingly complex U.S. and Canadian rules, especially those regarding sleeper-berth provisions and shorthaul operations, increase the burden on carriers and drivers to keep their logs accurate. With every concession, exemption or exception for a segment of industry, hours-of-service rules become harder to understand and calculate. Drivers and fleet operators are under increasing pressure to comply as the repercussions of noncompliance become harsher for all concerned. In this environment, shifting clerical tasks away from drivers has become a proven “best practice.”
According to the ATRI study, 19% of fleets that use EOBRs report an increase in driver retention and 76% report increased driver morale after they implemented these devices. No fleets reported lower driver retention after implementing an EOBR.
FMCSA estimates that drivers using electronic logs spend 20 minutes less per day filling out paperwork than drivers using paper logs. However, many fleets report greater time savings with paperless logs, especially with the most recent sleeper-berth rules. Properly preparing handwritten logs is time-consuming, difficult and displaces part of the driver’s focus on the real job. Also, more drivers are entering the job market without any previous connection to the trucking industry. Teaching them about today’s hours-of-service rules is hard work.
How does EOBR technology work? The fleet chooses the specific hours-of-service rule they use. This allows the system to operate within the six- or seven-day cycle, intrastate or interstate, applying proper exemptions and exceptions. The driver indicates the beginning and end of work periods by electing on-duty and off-duty status. The EOBR calculates distance, determines location at each change of status and keeps track of worked and available hours.
Fleets can elect to automatically warn drivers when they are in danger of exceeding allowable time and when they have exceeded allowable time. Whenever the vehicle is stopped, drivers can look up a detailed daily log or a summary recap of hours.
Back at the office, the truck communicates via several different methods, from satellite to terrestrial wireless, Wi-Fi hotspots to memory cards. Carriers can review logs current up to the last synchronization. More important, carriers can instantly review who is in and out of compliance, plus plan dispatch schedules, without reviewing each individual log or relying on manually created recaps or summaries.
Although rumors have circulated for years that electronic logs are going to be federally mandated, trucking has not waited for the government to act. Lower-cost, easier-use, and more reliable technology that increases fleet safety has been adopted without government intervention. So instead of waiting to install a government-mandated, static technology, when it is forced on the trucking industry, consider voluntarily adopting a known — and improving — technology now.
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