Dualing EOBR Measures: The FMCSA sends its EOBR Rule to the DOT

There is an EOBR provision in the latest highway funding bill before in the House. But now we have more news. Remember that EOBR rule from 2007 that was in the Bush White House ONB for review? The Bush administration withdrew that regulation to let the incoming Obama administration properly vet the regulation. They have, and now it is going before the DOT. If approved by the DOT, it will go before the White House Office of Management and Budget again for a final review.

Ferro's Confirmation Hearing

Anne Ferro, President Obama's choice to head the FMCSA, is going through confirmation hearings. While she will likely be confirmed, some believe she will continue policies of the previous administration.

The hearing included several minutes of intense questioning of Ferro concerning Hours of Service and electronic on-board recorders by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D.-N.J.

Lautenberg asked Ferro to list her top three priorities should she be confirmed.

She listed them as:

• Working within the FMCSA to identify best practices to tackle the issue of driver fatigue.

• Placing a top priority on examining the impact of the current HOS rule and identify areas where gains could be made to advance safety.

• Examining the EOBR issue with the express intent of how the tool can be used to, among other things, help officers with roadside enforcement of HOS.

Long Haul Drivers' Survey

Everything you've ever wanted to know, from the best truck stop chains to the most scenic highways. Some surprises are buried in there this year, such as CB radio and smart phone use.

EOBRs: FACT vs. FICTION

Economist Says Onboard Recorders Offer Fleets Potential Efficiencies

From Transport Topics today....

http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=22559

Using GPS for Fleet Management White Paper

What exactly is GPS?

Ever wonder exactly how GPS works? Read a summary here.

New Regulations in place for Munitions Haulers

New regulations are being implemented on October 1, 2009 by the US Department of Defense. Mandates include; GPS tracking reports every 15 minutes, a HERO certified, self-powered mobile terminal, cargo and door sensors that record opening/closing and removing of cargo, a notification when a tractor hooks or unhooks from a trailer, and an in-cab communication system with a panic button.

White Paper on Fuel Economy

An excellent paper authored by the Kenworth Truck Company, you'll read about truck specifications and driving habits that contribute to fuel efficiency.

EOBR White Paper

Text of Proposed EOBR Mandate in the Highway Authorization Bill

SEC. 4036. ELECTRONIC ON-BOARD RECORDERS.

(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue regulations to require commercial motor vehicles owned or operated by motor carriers subject to the Secretary’s hours-of-service regulations under part 395, Code of Federal Regulations, to be equipped with electronic on-board recorders.

(b) PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.—The regulations issued pursuant to subsection (a) shall include performance standards for electronic on-board recorders to be used to monitor compliance with the Secretary’s requirements for hours of service of drivers under part 395, Code of Federal Regulations. Such performance standards shall ensure, at a minimum, that an electronic on-board recorder installed in a commercial motor vehicle—
(1) is synchronized to the vehicle engine or other vehicle equipment;
(2) is able to identify each individual who operates the vehicle and track the periods during which such individual operates the vehicle;
(3) enables law enforcement personnel to access information contained in the recorder quickly and easily during a roadside inspection; and
(4) is tamper-proof.

(c) APPLICABILITY.—The regulations prescribed under subsection (a) shall be phased in and shall apply to all commercial motor vehicles used by motor carriers in interstate commerce not later than 4 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE.—The term ‘‘commercial motor vehicle’’ has the meaning that term has under section 31132 of title 49, United States Code.
(2) ELECTRONIC ON-BOARD RECORDER.—The term ‘‘electronic on-board recorder’’ means an electronic device that acquires and stores data showing the record of duty status of the vehicle operator and performs the functions required of an automatic on board recording device in section 395.15(b) of title 19 49, Code of Federal Regulations.

Oberstar's highway bill would mandate EOBRs for all carriers within 4 years

ATA conditionally supports an EOBR mandate, Public Citizen endorses EOBR mandates as well

Oberstar seeks mandatory truck EOBRs

Now Congress is getting in on the act, calling for mandatory EOBR's. First, it was repeated attempts by the NTSB (who has no authority over such matters) to require EOBR's, then three were 2 attempts in the last 7 years by the FMCSA.

Click on the link to read Rep. Oberstar's white paper on the subject.

Transport Ministers get on-board with CTA's call for an EOBR mandate

And now the latest news from Canada; they are now seriously considering an EOBR mandate.

GPS Fleet Tracking Helps Firms Weather the Tough Economy

Below is an excerpt from the Aberdeen Group in the UK - but it applies here in the US:

Yet another research report confirms that in this tough economy, GPS fleet tracking is helping companies maintain customer-satisfaction levels, optimize vehicle usage and control service-related costs.

The recently released report titled “”Service Workforce and Fleet Management: Driving Utilization with Location Intelligence,” published by the Aberdeen Group, found that major firms are turning to GPS vehicle tracking to “increase visibility into all service resources via GPS.”

Fleet operators who responded to the study report that they currently monitor and track the location of 35% of their workers and 47% of their vehicles. That’s up from averages of 23% for workers and 35% for vehicles in 2008. The respondents also indicated they planned further investments in GPS tracking systems in 2010.

“These results are indicative of the value offered by GPS-enabled tracking, navigation and routing solutions in meeting cost containment and customer management pressures faced by today’s service and manufacturing organizations,” an Aberdeen senior research analyst said.

The survey said responding firms have seen the following average improvements in key service performance indicators since they installed a GPS tracking system:

•25% reduction in idle times
•32% increase in fleet utilization
•22% decrease in fuel costs and a 31% drop in daily mileage
•23% boost in workforce productivity
According to the survey, responding firms are “significantly more likely than all others to actively integrate captured location information and intelligence into their field service scheduling and parts management systems to drive overall service delivery efficiency.”

The recent surge in similar reports confirms for us what we’ve known all along: There’s no better solution than GPS fleet tracking to help fleet operators rein in costs and improve employee productivity.

Tracking solutions remain popular even in down economy

You have to be careful reading reports, because the terms tracking, communications, and GPS are all used incorrectly at times. However, the fact remains that some form of onboard telematics for many fleets is a way of doing business, simply because it pays back and has become an integral part of doing business for many fleets.

The Driscoll Report, referenced this week in Fleet Owner, is evidence of that.

GPS Tracking and Enforcement Audits

There is an interesting article at http://www.todaystrucking.com/news.cfm?intDocID=21827
about using GPS records during hours of service audits.

The author makes the point that enforcement would actually be more fair with an EOBR mandate.

Interested in reading more about EOBR's? You can find two free white papers at www.gpsgateway.com. The first is written by Qualcomm's Dave Kraft, the second is written by Joel Beal from Gateway Professional Services.

The Electronic Onboard Recorder (EOBR) proposal is sleeping, but not dead.

Ray LaHood's Comments to the ATA

Safety is important; saving lives and preventing injuries is also good business. The new Secretary of Trasnprotation, Ray LaHood, spoke to the American Trucking Associations's board of directors on February 24th. We all know that the Secretary's job is not to help us make money. However, there are some interesting ideas thoughts presented. Here are a few:

“In each of the past three years, our nation has achieved significant decreases in the number of large truck-related fatalities."

“I am troubled that last year, nearly 73,000 trucking jobs were lost,” LaHood said. “In the third quarter of 2008 alone, 785 trucking companies with a combined fleet of about 39,000 trucks went out of business.”

“We want to make sure it (the EOBR rule) is the best rule we can possibility put out.”

Safety, technology, and emerging as a stronger company are all related.