Will Electronic Log Books Make The Driver Shortage Worse?

The fact that as a nation the United States is facing a big truck driver shortage shouldn’t be a secret unless you've been living elsewhere for some time. Currently there is an estimated shortage of 30,000 drivers, and according to the American Trucking Association the anticipated driver shortage is going to hit 239,000 by the year 2022. But there is another problem coming into play soon that may actually make it worse: electronic log books.

It's estimated that 75% of the industry is currently without electronic logging devices. In early 2015 there is a government mandate going into effect that requires commercial vehicles to have an electronic logging device. Once this is in place it will make it harder for drivers to dodge the hours of service rules. The way it stands now, trucks without electronic logging devices have a significantly lower chance of getting caught breaking the hours of service rules, especially if operated by a driver who knowingly wishes to manipulate his or her manual log book with phony hours.

By keeping manual logs drivers can sometimes get away with operating for longer periods of time until having to take a mandatory break. This allows them to drive more continuous miles which translates into more take home pay. According to The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), it performed roughly three million driver inspections in 2012 that turned up roughly 950,000 violations. Around 47% (450,000) of those violations were hours of service violations.

The silver lining may lie solely with the truck drivers right now as some companies are beginning to address the driver shortage with increased pay and better work-life balance schedules. Will electronic logging devices make the driver shortage worse?

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