WASHINGTON (AP) - An estimated 3 million commercial truck and bus drivers must electronically record their hours behind the wheel under a new government rule aimed at enforcing regulations designed to prevent fatigue.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration planned to release the final rule Thursday. A copy was provided to the Associated Press.
Drivers have been required to keep paper logs of their hours dating back to 1938, but accident investigators and safety advocates have long complained that it's easy to change the logs or keep two different sets of records to evade restrictions on hours. Electronic logging devices automatically record driving time by monitoring engine hours, vehicle movement, miles driven and location information.
"This automated technology not only brings logging records into the modern age, it also allows roadside safety inspectors to unmask violations of federal law that put lives at risk," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.
Efforts to require electronic logs that are more difficult to tamper with have been opposed by drivers who own their truck or small fleets of trucks. The drivers say the companies that hire them to haul freight will be able to access the electronic logs and pressure drivers who haven't reached their limit of legally-allowed hours to stay on the road even if they want to rest.