House Measure Would Block Mandated Use of EOBRs

The House on Friday passed a transportation spending measure that would block rules requiring electronic onboard recorders on trucks.

The measure — separate from the highway bill, which the House and Senate both passed on Friday — strips funding from DOT to develop or implement rules requiring EOBRs.

DOT “has become obsessed with electronically monitoring vehicle movements,” Rep. Jeff Landry (R-La.), who proposed the amendment.

The measure prohibits funds being used to set regulations that would mandate use of EOBRs, global positioning system tracking, or event data recorders in passenger or commercial motor vehicles.

American Trucking Associations, which has backed mandated use of EOBRs, said Landry’s amendment goes against the will of Congress.

“Though opponents of honest, fair and efficient enforcement of important safety rules have used this back door to thwart the will of Congress, we fully expect that the language of the conference report … will be the final word on the use of electronic logs,” ATA President Bill Graves said in a statement.

ATA hopes “DOT will quickly move to require this important safety technology on all trucks,” he said, referring to referring to language in the separate highway bill passed by the House.

Landry said the EOBR mandate — which he said would cost the trucking industry more than $1 billion — was too expensive.

“The truckers in my district cannot afford this,” he said.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which opposes mandated use of EOBRs, praised Landry shortly after his amendment was approved.

The separate transportation authorization bill passed by the House and Senate Friday directs DOT to mandate EOBRs. But the appropriations language would strip the funding from developing or implementing such a regulation.