Our government has a strict set of federal motor carrier safety regulations in place to ensure the trucking and transportation industries operate in a safe manner. One of the rules pertaining to how time on the road is recorded was recently updated to increase compliance.

Under current laws, truck drivers are able to record their hours of service manually in a log book, which must then be reviewed for accuracy. Revisions have been made to these regulations though, and now all hours of service and log books will be recorded and maintained through an electronic logging device (ELD).

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the adoption of the rule change on Dec. 10, and it’s expected to have a tremendous impact on highway safety, as well as transportation efficiency.

The final rule requiring the use of an ELD is expected to result in cost reductions by reducing the amount of man hours logged on conducting compliance paperwork. The move will also increase efficiency when law enforcement inspects vehicles and records during roadside stops. But perhaps the most exciting part of electronic logging is that it’s estimated to help save 26 lives and prevent 562 injuries caused by truck accidents annually.

These numbers look promising, and the North Carolina truck accident lawyers at HensonFuerst are hopeful the new regulations requiring ELDs in commercial trucks will help make our nation’s roadways safer.