Bus and truck companies with a history of serious hours-of-service (HOS) violations may be required to install electronic on-board recorders in all of their commercial vehicles for a minimum of two years, per a new proposed rule by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

Industry-wide use of electronic on-board recorders (EOBR) would be encouraged with incentives for voluntary use, said FMCSA Administrator John H. Hill.

The proposal would require EOBRs to record basic information needed to track a driver’s duty status, including identity of the driver, duty status, time and location of the commercial vehicle and distance traveled.

Companies would also be required to use global positioning technology or other location tracking systems to reduce the likelihood of falsification of HOS information.

If adopted, an estimated 930 carriers with a total of 17,500 drivers would be required to use EOBRs within the first two years that the rule is enforced, according to the FMCSA.

The full Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published in the Federal Register on Jan. 18, 2007, and public comments will be accepted until April 18, 2007. To request a copy of the notice, e-mail news@fmcsa.dot.gov.