WASHINGTON – As expected, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is bolstering its hours-of-service rules by proposing that all interstate trucks and buses be equipped with electronic onboard recorders (EOBRs) to track driver hours.

The rule would cover about 500,000 commercial carriers. It would not apply to short-haul interstate carriers that use timecards, rather than logbooks, to document hours of service.

The proposal would also relieve carriers from having to retain certain HOS documents, such as delivery and toll receipts for hours of service compliance.

Pressured by the American Trucking Associations, the agency already relaxed parts of the "supporting documents" provision last year, with a broader mandate on the horizon.

Last summer the agency published a preliminary rule that required only truckers with a 10-percent or greater HOS violation rate to install EOBRs on all their vehicles for a two-year period.

Many criticized the original proposal for its lack of teeth and questionable enforceability, but the FMCSA hinted all along that it would follow up that proposal with a "broader mandate."

Carriers will be given three years from the effective date of the final rule to comply.

"This proposal is an important step in our efforts to raise the safety bar for commercial carriers and drivers," said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "We believe broader use of EOBRs would give carriers and drivers an effective tool to strengthen their HOS compliance."

Violators of the EOBR rule would face penalties of up to $11,000 for each offense and will negatively affect a carrier's safety fitness rating and DOT operating authority."

The complete proposal, as well as instructions on how to provide public comments, can be viewed here.  

The news is likely to be welcomed by the Canadian Trucking Alliance, which has been urging Canadian regulators to go straight to a universal EOBR rule for all carriers.