21.5 C
New York

Recent NTSB Report Underscores Need For ELogs, ATA Says

Published:

Last week, the NTSB called on the Department of Transportation to investigate the FMCSA’s investigative processes following the investigation of four accidents that resulted in numerous fatalities.

The report prompted the American Trucking Association to call on the Obama Administration to “accelerate efforts to mandate electronic logging devices in commercial trucks and to improve its Compliance, Safety, Accountability fleet safety monitoring and measurement system,” the ATA said in a press release.

“ATA is a strong believer that electronic logging would go a long way toward improving hours of service compliance,” ATA President and CEO Bill Graves said. “NTSB’s finding that a truck driver in a fatal crash, and many of his co-workers, routinely carried two log books is unacceptable and would have been prevented by the use of a mandatory electronic logging device. This individual chose to violate the rules, irrespective of what they were, and was able to do so by falsifying his logs. An electronic logging device will prevent drivers from disguising such violations in the future.”

In addition, the ATA also pointed to the NTSB’s comments on how the FMCSA identifies and targets potential problem carriers.

“At issue here is how FMCSA uses its limited resources to focus on problem carriers. FMCSA must improve its CSA program to better identify carriers more likely to be involved in future crashes. We look forward to the forthcoming Government Accountability Office and DOT Inspector General CSA audit reports and hope they emphasize the need to ensure that the program accurately measures crash risk and focuses on unsafe fleets,” said ATA Chairman Phil Byrd, president of Bulldog Hiway Express, Charleston, S.C.

ATA supports a mandate for electronic logging devices on all trucks and further data-driven changes to CSA.

 

SOURCE American Trucking Associations

FREE! NEW FEATURES!

Discuss your Routes with other Truckers

Start Now   →
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER

Get the hottest daily trucking news

This Week in Trucking

Videos