Tag Archives: electronic logging devices

The Rest of the Story

AnnaLeah and Mary, Truck Safety, , , , , ,

If you took the time to read about our crash in the Bloomberg News article published today, please don’t stop there. I want you to understand the entire scope of our concern about truck safety; and it is NOT all about being upset with the truck drivers.

 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-01/mom-takes-on-truckers-after-highway-wreck-kills-daughters.html

Please read the post I wrote back in July, called “Our Crash Was Not An Accident.” It summarizes what I am trying to say and why, if we really want changes made in truck safety, we cannot just read and talk and complain about it.

We need to solve this problem together.

 https://annaleahmary.com/2014/07/our-crash-was-not-an-accident/

We Rescue Jesus Saves 018

Update on Electronic Logging Devices

Truck Safety, , , ,
Washington DC 151
I emailed one of my contacts at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last week to check on the progress of the Electronic Logging Device Rule (one of the 3 requests in the AnnaLeah & Mary Stand Up For Truck Safety Petition). This was his reply:
Hello, Marianne,
We are analyzing more than 2,000 comments that were submitted to the ELD Notice of Proposed Rulemaking docket. After completing this review, we will determine if changes to the proposed rule are in order before a final rule is issued.
 
The ELD rule is our top priority, and our goal is to issue a final rule in 2015.
 
Thank you for checking in with us on the status of this rulemaking. . . .
 Bill Bronrott
(See Public Comments on the ELDs here:  http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketBrowser;rpp=100;so=DESC;sb=docId;po=0;dct=PS;D=FMCSA-2010-0167 . Our AnnaLeah & Mary Stand Up for Truck Safety Petition is included at this site–one of the 2000+ comments.)

 

This was my reply:

Bill,

Thank you for getting back to me. I appreciate your taking the time to update me.

After what we have gone through in our case, with no log books ever being obtained from the truck driver — thus no way of determining his hours of service or possible fatigue, I am more convinced than ever that Electronic Logging Devices are essential.

Furthermore, I hope that, in the crafting of the final rule for ELDs, there are appropriate provisions included for consistent monitoring by means of this technology–for both preventive and investigative purposes. I urge you to put particular emphasis on including means for monitoring independent owner operators who might not have an employer looking over their shoulder. And don’t forget to do all in your power to train those in the enforcement and judicial systems to make full use of this technology.

Finally, I hope that this will be a beneficial technology which will be well-received and pave the way for other useful assistive devices, such as driver fatigue monitoring devices. For example, see this article,  http://www.academia.edu/4840350/A_Synopsis_Report_On_EYETRACKING_BASED_DRIVER_FATIGUE_MONITORING_AND_WARNING_SYSTEM_Submitted_By :

“The main idea behind this project is to develop a nonintrusive system which can detect fatigue of the driver and issue a timely warning.Since a large number of road accidents occur due to the driver drowsiness, this system will be helpful in preventing many accidents, and consequently save money and reduce personal suffering. This system will monitor the drivers eyes using a camera and by developing an algorithm we can detect symptoms of driver fatigue early enough to avoid an accident. So this project will be helpful in detecting driver fatigue in advance and will gave warning output in form of sound and seat belt vibration whose frequency will vary between 50 to 60 Hz. Moreover the warning will be deactivated manually rather than automatically. For this purpose a de-activation switch will be used to deactivate warning.

Moreover if driver feels drowsy there is possibility of sudden acceleration or deceleration. We can judge this by Plotting a graph in time domain.If all the three input variables show a possibility of fatigue at one moment then a Warning signal is given in form of text or red color circle. This will directly give an indication of drowsiness/fatigue which can be further used as record of driver performance.”

Thank you again for your part in improving safety on the roads. And I look forward to future updates, which I hope will give evidence of the priority you have indicated is being given to this needed improvement in truck safety.

Marianne

Two Years to Comply: Electronic Logging Devices

Truck Safety

Once the final rule for Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) is published–possibly by the Summer of 2015 according to DOT on May 5—then the trucking companies will have two years to comply (i.e., Summer of 2017).

What I want to find out is: Why are they allowed two years? What takes so long to get ELDs installed?

That’s what I am going to investigate.

It looks like part of the situation is the need for a management system which will monitor the ELDs:

“Other provisions state that every motor carrier will have to set up and use an hours-of-service management system to detect and prevent violations. This has always been a best practice. Now it would become a requirement when the rule is finalized. This management system will likely include the use of supporting documents that carriers generate or receive in the normal course of business. The rule will specify the exact criteria these documents will have to meet.” http://truckcompliance.com/industry-updates/elds-electronic-logging-devices-matter/

But why two years?

Here are details on the rule-making process:

”So, to break down the EOBR / ELD mandate process so far:

The road to the ELD mandate began when Congress passed MAP-21 in June 2012.

The president signed MAP-21 shortly thereafter, requiring the FMCSA to write a rule requiring use of electronic logging devices, or EOBRs, for all drivers that keep a Record Of Duty Status—about 3.1 million trucks and 3.4 million drivers today.

The FMCSA developed a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM) that was sent to the Office of the Secretary, who approved it and sent it back to the FMCSA in July 2013.

From there, the rule moved over to OMB, where it cleared today, March 12, 2014.

The FMCSA will keep the rule for the next two weeks, eventually publishing the SNPRM for public comment.

A comment period will then take place, published as 60 days, giving anyone a chance to add their feedback.

The FMCSA will take those public comments and revise the rule, a process that can take between six and nine months.

According to these time frames, we can estimate a final rule to be published in the first calendar quarter of 2015.

Based on MAP-21 requirements, fleets will have two years to comply with these rules—meaning you will be required to implement an EOBR for an Electronic Logging Device by January 2017 at the latest.”

Taken from: http://eobr.com/eobr-news/eobr-mandate/eld-mandate-clears-omb/#more-849

 

 

 

Paper Log Books

Truck Safety

Washington DC 151

On the way home from DC, we stopped at a truck stop for gas. On the way through the convenience store, I walked down an aisle which displayed Driver’s Daily Log booklets. Never saw one before. I just had to buy it for $2.99—good for keeping track of a month’s worth of driving days and nights and however many hours of service a driver logged.

 Never found one for the driver in our case. But apparently nobody takes these too seriously. Unreliable. The reason for the change to Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs). I hope that they can make ELDs work better than the paper log books and not just for after-the-fact evidence but for PREVENTION–for changing driving behavior to save lives.

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Washington DC 152

Dear Truck Driver,

AnnaLeah and Mary, Truck Safety, ,

You may feel like our petition is targeting you because we are asking for the minimum levels of insurance required by truck drivers be increased, we are asking for Electronic Logging Devices to become the standard as soon as possible, and we are asking for improved underride guards to be put on trailers.

These things do make your life more difficult. We know that. However, they also help provide safety for everyone on the road including you and your family.

Increasing the insurance does cost you money. But when an accident happens, it costs a lot of money to cover all of the damages a large, heavy truck can inflict. Often times, the minimum insurance doesn’t begin to cover those damages and the burden of paying them can be left on other agencies (including taxpayers) or even on injured people and their families.

Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) make it impossible to work too many hours, and that decreases driver fatigue. We understand that making a living as a truck driver is difficult and this causes some to make changes to their logs in order to make a living for their families. But this is dangerous for all on the roads including the truckers, who decide that it is their best option for making money. While the ELD do cost money, they also make it a lot safer for everyone.

Underride guards don’t directly make a difference for your lives. But, by preventing cars from going under your trailer, it will save lives and prevent injuries.

We understand how it can feel like our petition is going after your livelihood. But, the truth of the matter is that the system needs to change so that you can make a living while still keeping the roads safe. It is important that the roads be safe for you, your loved ones, and ours.

We are asking people to support safety by signing our petition. We respect truck drivers, and we are grateful for the work that you do for us. But the roads need to be as safe as possible. And that will take us all working together to reach that very important goal.

The Karth Family

In memory of AnnaLeah (forever 17) & Mary (forever 13)

What We Are Asking For: Electronic Logging Devices

Truck Safety,

Our petition requests DOT Secretary Foxx to make significant progress on three truck safety issues. One of the issues has to do with electronic logging devices to log truck drivers’ hours of service on the road.

This is what we are asking for with regards to  Electronic Logging Devices:

  • Improve enforcement and reduce truck driver fatigue by immediately releasing the rule for electronic logging devices (ELDs), and by preventing exemptions to hours of service limits;

This is not a matter of passing legislation; it has already passed legislation. It is a matter of moving it through the administrative process as quickly as possible. (See this site for a summary of the process: http://eobr.com/eobr-news/eobr-mandate/eld-mandate-clears-omb/)

For further information about electronic logging devices and exemptions to hours of service, visit the Truck Safety Coalition’s website:  http://trucksafety.org/fmcsa-releases-proposals-electronic-logging-device-rule/

Status of DOT Rule on Electronic Logging Devices

Truck Safety,

Electronic Logging Devices have been mandated by legislation and the DOT rule requiring them has passed an important milestone. Here is a summary of its progress:

 “So, to break down the EOBR / ELD mandate process so far:

The road to the ELD mandate began when Congress passed MAP-21 in June 2012.

The president signed MAP-21 shortly thereafter, requiring the FMCSA to write a rule requiring use of electronic logging devices, or EOBRs, for all drivers that keep a Record Of Duty Status—about 3.1 million trucks and 3.4 million drivers today.

The FMCSA developed a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM) that was sent to the Office of the Secretary, who approved it and sent it back to the FMCSA in July 2013.

From there, the rule moved over to OMB, where it cleared today, March 12, 2014.

The FMCSA will keep the rule for the next two weeks, eventually publishing the SNPRM for public comment.

A comment period will then take place, published as 60 days, giving anyone a chance to add their feedback.

The FMCSA will take those public comments and revise the rule, a process that can take between six and nine months.

According to these time frames, we can estimate a final rule to be published in the first calendar quarter of 2015.

Based on MAP-21 requirements, fleets will have two years to comply with these rules—meaning you will be required to implement an EOBR for an Electronic Logging Device by January 2017 at the latest.”

Taken from: http://eobr.com/eobr-news/eobr-mandate/eld-mandate-clears-omb/#more-849

We are thankful for the progress which DOT has made thus far with the Electronic Logging Device rule. However, we don’t want the process to drag out any longer than necessary. Lives are at stake!

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EOBR: Preventing Truck Driver Fatigue through use of Electronic Logging Devices

Truck Safety,

What is an EOBR? It is an electronic logging device, otherwise known as an Electronic On-Board Recorder. What is its purpose? To keep track of a truck driver’s hours of service on the road. The goal is to prevent driver fatigue by making sure that truck drivers get enough sleep and time off of the road.

The current system in place for recording drivers’ hours is a paper logbook. Too often, these are not even checked in the case of accidents because they can too easily be falsified.

“Regulatory requirements for EOBRs have been established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and are covered in the FMCSA’s rule 395.15. It requires devices to automatically record a driver’s duty status and any changes in status, as well as the amount of time they operate the vehicle. If requested by law enforcement, drivers must be able to immediately deliver the required display information for the previous 7 days, plus the current day.”

Quoted from this website: http://eobr.com/what-is-an-eobr/

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