Do you drive a commercial vehicle or own a trucking company? As you know, your automatic on-board recording device (AOBRD) is required by law to display certain information. But as of May 2014, the information required to be displayed has changed as announced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). As of now, your AOBRD must be capable of displaying the following:
The Information Required for Display
- Driver’s total hours of driving on the present day
- Driver’s total hours on duty on the present day
- Total miles driven on the present day
- Total hours on duty for the 7 consecutive day period, including the present day
- Total hours on duty for the prior 8 consecutive day period, including the present day
- The sequential changes in duty status and the times the changes occurred for each driver using the device
Regulation on Printing Information
While additional information is required to be recorded by your device, only the information listed above is required to be displayed. And though your AOBRD is required to display this information, it does not have to have the capability to print the information out, though an enforcement official can request that you email or fax the information within 48 hours.
How This Came About
It was brought to the FMCSA’s attention that inspection officials request information from AOBRDs about a driver’s record of duty status (RODS) in order to see if drivers are HOS compliant. In some cases, inspection officials have issued citations when AOBRDs did not display certain information.
The reason for the publication of the new regulation is to address what information is required to be displayed and whether or not that information has to be printed. With the new regulation, drivers, owners of trucking companies, and inspection officials will know what is and is not required of the driver.
What If My Device Doesn’t Comply?
If you’ve realized that your AOBRD doesn’t comply with the new regulation, you’ll need to update your device soon before you are stopped by enforcement. Have a device that can’t be updated? You (or most likely your trucking company) will need to buy a new one.
Remember, the reason for recording your HOS is to keep you and others around you safe. Pay attention to your automatic on-board recording device so you’ll be safe from harm—and from being issued a citation.