iTECH: Electronic Driver Logs -- Issues Need to Be Resolved

he era of electronic driver logs appears to be at hand.

Global-positioning systems (GPS), wireless communication and computers are ingrained in trucking, the software is in place and automated logging applications are already used by a sizeable number of private fleets and specialized carriers. Clearly, the parts for e-logs are readily available.

A growing chorus of industry officials and suppliers is now saying that adoption by for-hire carriers of some kind of system to automatically track drivers hours is not a question of if, but when.

For law enforcement and highway safety officials, the biggest concern is guaranteeing the integrity of the data on the truck cab’s computer screen.

"It’s a cornerstone issue," said Tom Doyle of Qualcomm Wireless Business Solutions. "Enforcement personnel are very concerned. They say, ‘How do we know what we’re looking at is real?’ "

Most product suppliers seek to assuage that concern with electronic safeguards, such as verifying the identity of drivers as they move from one truck to another, and programming systems to keep a paper trail of all changes to duty status so that records can be checked against toll receipts and other trip records — as is done with logbooks.

Carriers that have already adopted onboard systems have a higher level of compliance than carriers that don’t use the technology, according to John Gaither, a regional manager for Xata Corp. in Kernersville, N.C.

"My first customer installations of electronic logging technology date back to 1987, so I have some experience with the subject," Gaither said.

"The records are virtually tamper-proof and a highly accurate and visible accounting of a driver’s or carrier’s compliance is instantly available at the carrier’s offices," he said.

As a result, Gaither said, "many inspectors have learned that they needn’t waste scarce resources on repeated routine roadside inspections of carriers and drivers who — for many years now — have held themselves to these highly accountable standards."

Some of the objections voiced by over-the-road truckers to onboard recorders are no longer are valid, according to Lana Batts, an industry consultant and former president of the Truckload Carriers Association.

"Is the technology there today? The answer is ‘yes,’ " Batts said. "Too expensive? Wrong. Small fleets are buying it. New technology? Wrong. Fleets have been using it for a while now. Drivers hate it? Wrong. Werner uses its paperless log system as a driver recruiting tool."

Batts, who serves on the board of PeopleNet, said the issue has nothing to do with technology or regulation. "It is trial lawyers," she said.

In other words, the industry needs assurance that data collected by automated logging will be used for enforcement, not litigation, Batts said.

"It’s the same deal as the airlines got when the federal government mandated cockpit voice recorders and data recorders," she said.

Critics nonetheless argue that electronic records — which can’t easily be fudged — could create an unlevel playing between carriers that use them and carriers that still have paper logs, unless enforcement is consistent and widespread with both types of carriers. They also complain that having a computer tirelessly monitoring driver activities goes against the basic right to privacy.

Chris Burruss, current president of the Truckload Carriers Association, said his group favors a voluntary approach to the adoption of onboard recorders.

"There are questions about whether the technology can perform as advertised," he said. "Can it really eliminate hours-of-service violations?"

While TCA is on record as opposing a federal mandate for automated logging, Burruss said more research is needed to defend that position.

"We can choose to hide from it or address it," Burruss said. "If we’re going to argue against a decree, we need to develop our rationale. If it’s inevitable, we need an opportunity to shape the terms of that mandate."

Scott Lemon, head of the commercial carrier business segment for DriverTech, a Salt Lake City-based firm that developed an onboard computer for the military and now is providing a similar device for the commercial trucking market, says many large truckload carriers are testing onboard computers to prepare for a possible mandate.

"They sense that it’s coming," he said. "Rather than have something forced upon them, they want to deal with something that works. What they realize is that with a computer in the truck and high-speed communication links, they can do a lot of things."

Lemon said it makes the most sense to monitor driver hours with a larger computer package, but it’s possible that simpler recording devices will be offered to drivers and small fleets.

"You need to do more than one thing to justify the cost [of computers]," he said. Besides recording driver hours, most onboard systems monitor engine and driver performance, pinpoint the vehicle’s location, plot efficient routes, handle incoming and outgoing messages and some even capture customer signatures and print bills of lading and receipts.

Daniel Smith, corporate director of transportation for grocery distributor Smart & Final in Los Angeles, said driver acceptance of automated logging systems has been high.

"Once they see that they are accurate, objections went away," he said. "It helps us in forecasting hours available. It helps on inspections. And if you are a tree hugger, it saves about 1 million trees a year."

This story appeared in the December/January issue of iTECH, which appeared as a supplement in the Dec. 20 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.