As you drive on Oklahoma highways amid giant 18-wheelers, it can be terrifying to think that one or more of those truckers could be fighting off sleep.
We believe that laws put in place to help prevent accidents due to truck driver fatigue might save your life someday.
The ELD mandate
According to Work Truck Magazine, an example of a recent mandate put into place by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires the majority of trucking companies to install Electronic Logging Devices in their vehicles. ELDs monitor driving activity and statistics, which help the FCMSA enforce Hours of Service regulations and, in turn, may limit the potential for crashes caused by exhausted truckers. Still, there are lagging truck companies that have not yet updated their fleets following the ELD mandate.
The rate of non-compliance
As of July 2019, 1 in 8 fleets that qualify for the ELD mandate have not installed the devices in their trucks. Operators of these vehicles are likely still using paper logging methods, which are often easily manipulated by drivers who wish to stay on the road longer than they are legally able. This makes it challenging to monitor HOS violations that may lead to fatigue and an increase in danger to the truck drivers and other passenger vehicles that share the road.
Surveys show that some of these fleets may be reluctant to bring their trucks into compliance because of the cost. However, ELDs monitor more than time in operation. Truck owners can use the data collected to increase fuel efficiency. Furthermore, measures taken to make fleets safer can help companies save money on fines and insurance.
Unfortunately, the clear safety advantage of reducing driver fatigue might take the back seat to financial concerns. However, with almost 60% of full-featured ELD users reporting savings, this excuse hopefully will not work for much longer. To read more about the consequences of truck driver fatigue, please visit our webpage.
