It should come as no surprise for our Georgia readers that truck drivers are subject to quite a few federal trucking regulations. These regulations include provisions for how often truck drivers are allowed to operate their vehicles, how often those vehicles must pass safety inspections and how much cargo a truck can transport. These federal trucking regulations, like in so many areas, are usually behind the times in keeping up with current technology. But, is there any advanced technology that can help streamline a truck driver’s compliance with federal regulations?
From recent reports, it looks like some changes are coming in terms of how truck drivers record their hours. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently announced that millions of truck drivers and operators of other large vehicles will need to begin recording their operation hours electronically within short order. The electronic logs are meant to replace paper logs, which have been required for over 70 years.
In theory, an electronic log of operation hours should make it easier for inspectors to uncover violations of federal trucking regulations. And, if truck drivers who are violating these regulations can face consequences as a result, these new regulations may ultimately lead to a decrease in deadly truck accidents.
The main concern is that truck drivers should not be operating these huge vehicles on our nation’s roadways non-stop. Truck drivers are only human, and they require rest and occasional breaks from work just like the rest of us — not only for their own health and safety, but also for the safety of all the other drivers on the roads.
Source: abc6onyourside.com, “New rule: Truck drivers must electronically record their hours,” Dec. 14, 2015