U.S. Senate members heard testimony that if electronic onboard recording devices won’t become a requirement, stronger deterrents are necessary to deter “egregious” hours-of-service violations.
Kenneth Mead, U.S. Transportation Department inspector general, testified April 5 before the Senate Commerce Committee on transportation safety programs. “We have conducted criminal investigations of egregious cases in which trucking company officials have been prosecuted for systematically forcing their drivers to drive well in excess of the limits,” Mead testified.
Log book and hours rules need strengthening because unscrupulous carriers and drivers view violations as “the cost of doing business,” he said.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rescinded a proposal that would have required recorders as enforcement evidence. Since then, courts have ordered the agency to review that decision.
If FMCSA ultimately doesn’t require the devices, agency officials should consider other strategies to decrease hours violations, Mead said.
As an example, Mead said FMCSA should increase fines for a missing or incomplete log book to equal that for having a false log book. Another suggestion was to allow information from a carrier’s existing GPS or onboard recording device to check for hours violations during compliance audits.
The agency also needs to fortify state enforcement of laws barring Mexican trucks from illegal U.S. operation, Mead said.
