Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog

Our Georgia trucking accident attorneys applaud the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's move to require on-board recorders to monitor hours-of-service compliance for over-the-road truckers.

As we reported on our Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog, the government continues to fine tune the regulations governing how many hours a day and days a week a trucker can remain behind the wheel. Fatigued truckers are a leading cause of trucking accidents in Atlanta and elsewhere.

However, compliance checks have long been a joke as truckers are paid by the mile and compliance relies upon toll receipts, hand-written log books and other evidence.

"We cannot protect our roadways when commercial truck and bus companies exceed hours-of-service rules," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "This proposal would make our roads safer by ensuring that carriers traveling across state lines are using EOBRs to track the hours their drivers spend behind the wheel."

Those in violation would face fines of up to $11,000 for each offense. The proposal would cover approximately 500,000 carriers nationwide. Previously, only those who had been caught violating hours-of-service rules had been required to use the electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs).

"This proposal is an important step in our efforts to raise the safety bar for commercial carriers and drivers," said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "We believe broader use of EOBRs would give carriers and drivers an effective tool to strengthen their HOS compliance."