Is the industry ready for government-mandated 'black boxes' and rigid enforcement of hours-of-services and speed laws?
The advent of the electronic engine and the use of SAE 1939 standard for communications link have made it possible to install a "black box" on at least 90 percent of trucks and buses sold today.
Such a box would make rigid enforcement of driver hours-of-service and speeding laws fairly easy, leveling the playing field, eliminating many fatigue and safety problems, and improving the industry's image. Also, such a box would make many truckers nervous at the least, and many indignant about their privacy being invaded.
A federal regulation could require all trucks and buses involved in interstate commerce built after a specified date to be equipped with the so-called 'black box,' also known as an onboard computer or trip recorder. After a reasonable period of time, the law could be extended to include all interstate trucks and buses, which could require retrofitting on any mechanical engine.
The onboard computers, sensors and hardware are already installed on new trucks. All that is needed is the software and the protocols necessary for universal compliance procedures. Besides producing the data for such enforcement, there is a host of additional information that will be beneficial for both owner-operators and fleets. (See sidebar).
Why mandatory regulations? Consider this scenario: An independent trucker calls a produce broker in Los Angeles for an eastbound load. He is offered a load of lettuce that must be delivered in Pittsburgh in three days. When the trucker tells the broker it will take four days, the broker says there are a hundred other truckers willing to take the load.
How about owner-operators leased to truckload carriers that "look the other way" when drivers break hours-of-service regulations or operate their trucks more than 600 miles in a 10-hour period? What about major shippers that demand service that requires a trucker to violate speed laws and hours of service?
A mandatory black box could eliminate these scenarios.