EOBR rule expected early in New Year

WASHINGTON — The final rule in the U.S. requiring carriers to use electronic onboard recorders (EOBRS) has been sent to the White House for approval.

According to truckinginfo.com, publication could come as early as February.

It remains unknown exactly what the rule entails, but reports suggest it could involve mandatory EOBRs for hours-of-service violators and incentives for voluntary adoptin of the technology.

A previous Bush-era proposal was criticized by FMCSA’s sister DOT agency for its "lack of teeth."

The plan called for EOBRs for a minimum of two years only for carriers and independent owner-ops charged with two serious HOS review violations (with a rate of violation greater than 10%), in a two-year period.

While am industry-wide mandate is not expected, it’s likely that the new EOBR rule could include a larger group of carriers with HOS violations.