It all started back in the mid-1980s.
Back then motor carriers made the very first steps towards the implementation of electronic logging devices to record HOS. In the 80’s the ELD was defined as Automatic On Board Recording Devices. Standards for ELD’s use were set!
Later on, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FMCSA by reforming the HOS regulations wanted to include the use of electronic devices in the trucking industry. Nevertheless, the reform was rejected and blocked by the court in 2004.
From here on, in 2010 the FMCSA published a final rule. This final rule was requiring motor carriers with significant HOS violations to install EOBRs in their trucks. The rule was named as “Electronic On-Board Recorders For Hours-of-Service Compliance”. The final rule was declared on June 4, 2010.
Later on, the same year on June 3, a lawsuit with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit was filled by OOIDA. This lawsuit was originating from the fact that the FMCSA was not able to address the driver harassment issues in the rule. Yet, the final rule was canceled on May 14, 2012.
