ATA Asks DOT to End Electronic Data Audits

(Michael James - Transport Topics) Qualcomm units allow drivers to communicate with their fleet managers.

American Trucking Associations last week urged Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta to "immediately halt" federal efforts to require motor carriers to turn over their electronic tracking data for audits of their drivers’ hours-of-service records.

In an Aug. 7 letter to Mineta, ATA Interim President William J. Canary accused the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration of violating its own policies with respect to the use and retention of electronic tracking data, and said FMCSA’s actions will "discourage the use of electronic tracking technology and ultimately undermine safety."

"It appears that the administration is improperly targeting a number of the nation’s safest carriers for safety compliance reviews in an effort to leverage them into retaining and using electronic tracking data for hours-of-service purposes," Canary wrote.

For the full story, see the August 13 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.

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