Recommendations Regarding the Use of Electronic On-Board Recorders (EOBRs) for Reporting Hours of Service (HOS)

This report provides a synthesis of all relevant information on Electronic On-Board Recorders (EOBRs) and formulates a variety of recommendations, including proposed performance standards for EOBRs, regarding the potential use of EOBRs in satisfying HOS recording and reporting requirements. This report concludes that at the current time, the prudent course of action is to defer any decision to mandate EOBRs industry-wide. This recommendation is dictated by the continuing uncertainties and insufficient amounts of reliable, documented empirical data regarding a variety of issues, such as the costs, benefits, and operational impacts on motor carriers that are characterized as small businesses. In addition, it is recommended that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) continue with a research program that may provide the additional information upon which a future decision might be based regarding mandating the use of EOBRs for either certain sub-segments of the motor carrier industry or industry-wide. Such a research program might include, for example, a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of the use of EOBRs, the development of more detailed performance specifications for EOBRs in conjunction with industry and equipment vendors, and a field operational test of various EOBR system designs in order to obtain additional information regarding practical operational issues. Despite this finding, this report recommends that EOBRs that comply with current 49 CFR § 395 regulations regarding Automatic On-Board Recording Devices (AOBRDs) continue to be allowed, and that the 49 CFR § 395 regulations regarding AOBRDs be updated to reflect both recent advances in technology and operational experience that has been gained from the use of AOBRDs under 49 CFR § 395. A variety of recommendations regarding potential revisions to the 49 CFR § 395 regulations regarding AOBRDs are proposed, and a series of recommended next steps are also provided.

• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/9107
• Corporate Authors:

  Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

  Motor Carrier Safety Assessment Division, 55 Broadway
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02142

  Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

  Office of Bus and Truck Standards and Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Publication Date: 2005-9-28

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Bibliography; Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 171p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Hours of labor; Motor carriers; Recommendations; Regulations
• Uncontrolled Terms: Automatic on-board recording devices; Electronic on-board recorders; Future research
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Motor Carriers;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01680173
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 11 2018 2:46PM