Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/649008
40 | Overdrive | March 2016 TOMORROW'S TRUCKER Such innovations could play into the industry's interest in either extend- ing drivers' on-duty time or allowing greater flexibility in divvying it up, Andersky says. Re-evaluation of hours regulations in tandem with automated technology is the "natural thing to happen," says David Heller, head of regulatory affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association. TCA and other groups have pressed in recent years for greater study of hours of service rules and more data to justify regulations on the books. Introduction of technology that helps reduce fatigue further would spur even more pressure, Heller says. "We will advocate for timely com- pliance initiatives" as long as "sound data" exists to justify reforms, he says. Heller says reforms such as split duty time and other flexibility could be among the first changes driven by automation, while other specifics would relate to technologies that gain market traction and how they affect operators. Adding heat to the fire of hours reform is growing congressional interest in overseeing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Congress in 2014 mandated the suspension of some stipulations in the most recent overhauls of hours regula- tions. Congress also required FMCSA to study hundreds of truckers to prove the stiffer regulations work, the results of which are pending. The trends of greater congressional oversight and new technologies point to an hours of service crossroads, though as Elliot sees it, it's not necessarily because automation will reduce driver stress or fatigue. Instead, he believes fleets' and regu- lators' ability to monitor drivers' alert- ness via biometrics could lead to tech- nologies that dictate on-duty time on an individual level rather than industry- wide prescribed hours rules. Real-time monitoring of a driver's alertness levels via wearables and other measuring devices might allow additional on-duty time, while in other instances, drivers may be told to pull over based on such readings. Hours limits would be "directly correlated to a driver's ability at that time," Elliot says. It could be years before such tech- nology and regulatory approval could become a reality. Elliot predicts its debut as roughly the same timeframe as advancements such as platooning and autonomous trucks move out of their test phases.