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ix years ago, Werner Enterprises outfitted 6,800 trucks with software that recorded driving data in real-time as a way of testing how well capturing driver hours electronically might work in the truckload business.

Werner was supported by the government, which has a strong interest in replacing paper logbooks with electronic readouts on demand for checking hours-of-service compliance. The Federal Motor Carrier Administration has talked a lot about an automated recording system aboard the truck, although the agency has backed off from an immediate mandate.

As part of that effort, the Nebraska-based carrier integrated an in-house logging system with technology purchased from mobile communications provider Qualcomm to electronically record and report driver hours and truck movements, in essence creating paperless logs.

At the time, the technology was viewed “cautiously” and considered “revolutionary” in the industry, Werner’s executive vice president and general counsel, Dick Reiser, said in an interview. Some skeptics even argued about whether it would work.

For the full story, see the February/March issue of iTECH, which appeared as a supplement in the Feb. 16 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.