NHTSA Looks Into ‘Black Box’ Technology and Costs

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, which regulates the safety of new trucking equipment, is collecting information on the potential capabilities and costs of “black box” computers on trucks to aid in reconstructing accidents, as is done in aviation.

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NHTSA has appointed a working group, but it has no authority to make recommendations or draft a proposal. However, the information could eventually be used to help craft a rule requiring trucks and buses to have onboard event-data recorders, according to a NHTSA official.

Such a requirement would be in addition to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposal to require in-cab electronic devices to record driver hours.

NHTSA is acting on a recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board to study use of electronic data recorders on school buses and motor coaches, said John Hinch, who is spearheading the effort. The agency added heavy trucks to the study because of similarities between motor coaches and long-haul truck operations.

For the full story, see the Nov. 6 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.

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