Carriers should be prepared by now for new hours of service rules that go into effect July 1, to be followed by proposed rules for mandatory electronic logs, says Jack Van Steenburg, chief safety officer for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
In a keynote speech for Zonar Systems’ inaugural users’ conference, Van Steenburg said that once carriers begin using electronic logging devices (ELDs) “they will love it,” noting the many operational efficiencies to be gained, Heavy Duty Trucking reports. He added the rule will also include strong measures to ensure the devices aren’t used to “harass” drivers.
He said a new rule mandating ELDs would come up sometime this fall with a final rule ready by next year. The rule will establish technical standards for ELDs and eliminate a many current requirements involving supporting documents.
Van Steenburg also defended the new HoS rules – which require drivers take 30-minute breaks within 8 hours of coming on duty and a revised 34-hour restart period that requires two periods from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. off duty before a driver can resume driving – saying they will be good for drivers.
He added that the agency intends to enforce the new rules vigorously. “There will be big fines for egregious violations,” he said.
A host of HoS training resources are available from OTA here.
