The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has put out a call to action as the organization works to prevent a proposal that would slap all semi trucks with an electronic ID, raising concerns about privacy and more.
The OOIDA issued a call to Action on Tuesday, October 25th as part of a Facebook post urging its members to submit comments speaking out against the proposal.
“FMCSA is considering a mandate requiring all trucks to be equipped with an electronic identification system capable of wirelessly transmitting a unique ID, as well as other information about the truck and driver, to law enforcement,” the Association wrote in the post.
“The Agency asserts these changes would allow law enforcement to target high-risk carriers, but we are skeptical of these claims and have a host of concerns about how this proposal would negatively affect truckers and highway safety.”
“This proposal sends up red flags about privacy, information security, enforcement fairness, costs to truckers, and more,” the post continues. “In particular, FMCSA is looking at transmitting a wide range of information, like carrier name, carrier contact information, USDOT number, or possibly even information about the driver such as hours of service, Commercial Driver’s License compliance, and medical certification.”
“For an agency that has failed to ensure the safe and responsible deployment of other systems, such as ELDs, it is unthinkable that they would mandate even more information technology.”
The Call to Action comes after the FMCSA’s request for comment back in September brought in more than 1,300 comments, many opposed to the proposal.
“The over regulation of trucks and truck drivers is crippling the industry,” wrote one commenter. “The FMSCA shouldn’t be so lazy that they require even more technology to not really do their job.”
“Talk about ‘Big Brother,’” added another.
To make a comment, click here or go to Regulations.gov and enter document number FMCSA-2022-0062. The public has until November 22nd to submit their opinion on the issue.