EOBR Proposed Changes: Making the Transition

Recently proposed changes to the US federal Hours of Service (HOS) standards have the trucking and logistics industries in Canada weighing in.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has proposed that all motor carriers currently maintaining logbooks be required to use Electronic On-Board Recorders (EOBRs) to monitor their drivers’ compliance. The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has recently suggested that we will need to accelerate work on this mandate in Canada as a result of the proposal. The enforcement policies that will accompany the EOBR mandate in the US and Canada have sparked controversy and still require many issues to be ironed out.

The FMCSA plans to provide carriers three years to invest and install EOBRs from the date the final rule comes into force.

Some fleets have spoken up and are hesitant about implementing EOBRs. The belief is that fleets will not make on-time deliveries resulting in lost profits. There is a fear that drivers will quit upon implementation and on top of that fleets believe there is a significant cost to adopt EOBRs, but that there are no benefits.

On the contrary, our customers that have adopted the EOBRs have actually found quite positive results. Drivers have found they find time not lose it; from 30mins to 2hrs per week because of rounding and personal conveyance. Fleets are actually saving money by eliminating log books, auditing costs, administrative duties from the automation. Dispatchers are becoming better planners for drivers. For example dispatchers send a driver to the shipper the night before so his/her waiting time can be done off duty. Dispatchers are also avoiding sending drivers who don’t have adequate hours to deliver on time, and are overall making better use of teams. The results are deliveries as scheduled, and fleets driving safely and compliant.

If you are thinking about making the transition, please call us at 1-800-478-9511 and we will connect you with a Shaw Tracking expert. Additionally, if you are interested in finding out about how other companies have managed the transition and challenges faced, we are happy to provide you with that information.

At Shaw Tracking, we are committed to ensure that all of our products and services continue to support our customers’ requirements and comply with strict industry regulatory changes. The Shaw Tracking Automated Hours of Service application ensures detailed drivers' logs are fully compliant with the Ministry of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the latest rules and regulations of Transport Canada.

Best Regards,
Mike Ham, Vice President, Business Services