Proposed EOBR Ruling

On behalf of Shaw Tracking, I would like to wish you, your families and colleagues a Happy New Year and a very successful 2007.
 
By now, most of you have seen or heard the recent announcement published in January regarding FMCSA's decision on implementing EOBR's.
 
The proposed rule is that EOBR technology will be required for a minimum of 2 years for carriers and independent owner/operators deemed "most likely to be a safety hazard on the road".  Carriers charged with 2 serious HOS review violations (with a rate of violation greater than 10%) for a 2 year period will have to fit their entire fleet with EOBR's.
 
The compliance technology will continue to be voluntary for all other carriers, although the agency is introducing incentives to encourage EOBR implementation for all trucks that head into the U.S.  In Canada, CTA was the first group for North America to endorse an EOBR mandate.  This issue has been re-addressed, contemplated, and delayed several times during the last decade.  It now seems that government and carriers alike are pushing the adoption of this technology to provide a safe environment and a level playing field across North America.
 
There have also been several opposing drop articles and testimonials over the last few years that speculate that there will be a significant drop in productivity across our drivers and carriers.  As we prepare to support this new direction making electronic log books mandatory, it will be an interesting challenge for customers, governing bodies, and shippers.
 
At Shaw Tracking, we are committed to ensure that all our products and services existing in the future support our customers’ requirements.  We work with our suppliers and our engineers, making the required investment to ensure both US and Canadian Hours of Service are available on not only our new satellite and terrestrial platforms, as well supporting existing OmniTRACS customers.
 
Our commitment is to ensure technology is progressive and adoptable, nothing is rendered obsolete.
 
Look forward to the opportunity to work with our customers, this transition, and again wishing you all a successful 2007.