Quick: What’s the leading cause of trucking accidents? If you were to ask that question to the non-trucking public, they would probably tell you that trucker fatigue was the culprit. They’d be wrong.

It’s not their fault. The media, our lawmakers, and many interest groups are cramming that idea into their ears with one of those cannonball-stuffing doo-hikeys. I’m not going to go into all the statistics on this because, well, that’s just not my bag, baby. Still, I’m not asking you to take one loud-mouthed trucker’s opinion on this either.I let OOIDA (Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association) do the dirty work. Check it out for yourself.

[box]Listen to the audio version above and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.
Or enter http://abouttruckdriving.com/truckerdump.xml into your favorite podcast app.
Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein
Mystery Feedback Song – Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren’t a cheater, are you?[/box]

So what is the leading cause of truck accidents? Well, actually the leading cause is 4-wheelers. In some studies it’s estimated as many as 71% of accidents involving a truck and a passenger vehicle are caused by the 4-wheeler’s actions; not the truck’s. Putting that fact aside, the accidents caused by a truck driver are usually caused by driver error, not driver fatigue.

Speeding, taking a turn too fast, improper lane changes, tailgating, and driving too fast for conditions are just a few things that cause truck accidents. Most of these kinds of accidents are the result of being in a hurry. Even when time isn’t an issue, accidents are more likely to be caused by pure carelessness, not driver fatigue.

Any honest trucker will back me up on this. Not counting time issues, the majority of close calls are caused by reaching for your iPod, reading your map, eating, spilling your coffee, daydreaming about your lottery winnings, or being lost due to bad directions (see Truckers get lost about that whole ball of frustration). The vast majority of truck drivers have the common sense to get off the road before we get too tired. Despite this well-known fact, the people and industries that know what’s best for everyone else has decided that EOBR’s are necessary to prevent these infrequent fatigue-related accidents.

Now… I’m sure all my trucking friends have already heard of EOBR’s. The acronym stands for Electronic On-Board Recorders. Basically, it’s a tell-all device for truckers. It’s what the “black box” is to the airline industry. If you haven’t heard of them yet, you likely will soon enough. There is a major push by industry groups and lawmakers to make EOBR’s mandatory in all commercial vehicles. While I think EOBR’s have their merits, I also believe them to be as important in preventing accidents as the Easter Bunny is to delivering presents at Christmas.

So what are the good points about EOBR’s? Well, for one thing, they can detect sudden lane changes, hard braking, excessive speed, etc. That kind of information could come in handy when truckers are trying to prove themselves innocent of an accident. On the flip side, it could also be a prosecuting attorney’s ace-in-the-hole if you’re as guilty as a drunk Alcoholic Anonymous member. Secondly, I believe EOBR’s would succeed in keeping those rare renegade drivers in check. It would be kind of hard to run two log books and drive until your eyes are drooping like old lady boobies with an EOBR installed. So that’s a good thing.

There are a couple of things that EOBR haters are worried about. First, is the whole “invasion of privacy” issue. Sure, the box would show your company where you live when you go home, but who cares? They already know your address. And yes, it shows where you’re currently located. Well, maybe if you don’t want someone to know that you’re at the nudie bar, you shouldn’t be there in the first place. While I suppose that it could be the foot-in-the-door to something more sinister, I’m just not that paranoid. And if you’re driving like a crazy person, I don’t mind the little box tattle-telling on you.

Another complaint is the cost. Now I’ve never priced one of these puppies, but I’ve read that some of these units can cost as little as $300-$400 to install. That’s just a couple of weeks of G-string fodder for some of these guys. And if you’re a company driver, you’ve got no call to complain about the cost.

The thing is, most company trucks already have some sort of EOBR in them. Our current satellite systems already show how fast we are going and our location at any given time, therefore many of us company drivers are already dealing with them. And what do you think electronic log books are? They’re just glorified EOBR boxes.

I know what some of you regular readers are thinking. “But you said you had fear and loathing of electronic logs.” I did, and still do to some extent. I don’t know exactly how they work, so that’s part of the mystery. But here’s why I’m dreading the day that I get e-logs. Time management.

The difference between our current satellite system, or even a black box that is mounted under the driver’s seat is; no one is monitoring your satellite system unless something warrants an inquiry. But e-logs are monitored real-time. If that thing is beeping at you, your dispatcher is seeing it too. This presents a problem.

Admittedly, the way the vast majority of truckers do their log books is technically illegal. Still, most truckers don’t run two logs books and backlog trips either. We simply fudge a few things here or there to suit the situation. For example, let’s say I’m going into the shipper the night before my morning appointment, therefore, I’m not in any particular rush. If I hit a traffic jam just before I run out of hours, no big deal. As long as I don’t have a DOT weigh station to deal with, I can just take my time getting to the shipper, get there 15 or 30 minutes later than “technically” legal, and show getting there when I had originally planned. Illegal? Yes. Driving 5 mph over the speed limit is too. Good thing none of us do that.

The biggest problem I see with e-logs is that there will no longer be any wiggle room. Now if I’m almost out of hours when I hit that traffic jam, what happens? Well, I get tagged by my company for driving over my hours. Either that, or traffic breaks free and I put the hammer down to bust my hump to the shipper (or any other safe parking space) before the stinkin’ e-log machine starts beeping at me.

So I ask you; what’s safer? Calmly driving 15-30 minutes over my allotted time, or driving like a Formula 1 driver injected with squirrel DNA to keep from going over my time limit? I imagine that it’s going to feel like an episode of “24” every time I get behind the wheel. Is a trucker driving an 80,000-pound weapon someone you want racing against the clock every day?

Please leave a comment with your thoughts on EOBR’s and how you think they will affect you. And if you liked this post, please make use of that pretty “Like” button below.

Photo used with permission of Xata Corp.

About the Author
I'm a 22-year truck driver with an interest in tech stuff. I do the Trucker Dump podcast and blog, which is all about life as a trucker. I have also written two trucking books, "Trucking Life" and "How to Find a Great Truck Driving Job."
10 comments on “TD55: The EOBR Myth
  1. Trucking is way more complicated that I ever knew. “Hurry up and slow down” seems to be the motto!

    You so need to get out of this business! Pulling for you to become an international well paid blogger! What say you?!

    1. Todd McCann says:

      I’ve heard the saying “Hurry up and wait” a million times, but I like yours when it comes to driver safety issues. “Hurry up and slow down.” Nice. You’re right.

      People can’t have it both ways. It’s like screaming against idling trucks, eliminating truck parking spaces, and making it illegal to park on entrance/exit ramps, all while raving against tired truckers. C’mon people! Use your noggins!

      As far as getting out of the business, I’ll settle for national well-paid blogger. I’m not greedy.

  2. Lindsay says:

    I prefer the trucker who drives calmly 30min more…. 🙂
    That or remove all traffic jams!

    1. Todd McCann says:

      See? Most normal people have common sense. Would you mind getting elected to Congress and smacking some people in the head with a frying pan? Pretty please?

  3. Jason says:

    Well, I must say you have hit the nail on the head again Todd. Great post, I just wished the “ignorant ones” making these ridiculous laws would read some of this stuff we write about.

    Common sense is not a requirement to make laws…If it were then I know about 50,000 people in the DOT that would be out of a job. Keep them coming, maybe they will see the light someday.

    1. Todd McCann says:

      Back at you, man. Your posts address the political and social issues facing truckers far better and more often than mine do. For those of you interested in keeping on top of this kind of stuff, http://www.truckdriversnews.com/ is the place to go. Well… what are you waiting for? Get on over there!

  4. luv18wheels (Pat) says:

    I think the people that make these laws should be put in a truck for 6 months and held to all the things the truckers deal with everyday and they might…just might see the error of their thinking! Great blog Todd and every word is soooo true! There’s just too much regulation in trucking now a days it really needs to stop.

    1. Todd McCann says:

      Preach on, Sister! Yes, many of the outcomes of these newly proposed laws would change if the lawmakers were forced to spend some quality time in a big rig. Unfortunately, we both know that will never happen. Grrr.

    2. Indian trucks drivers are crazy they drive so fast ..

  5. Stevie says:

    Hey Todd, another interesting opinion show. Personally I am still not a fan of ELogs. Just too used to the old school of keeping multiple log books to suit my purpose at the time. ELogs would simply make it impossible to make deadline of getting rides to the next spot on time for set up. During fair season, it’s a major! Serious fine for each ride that does not make opening on time! And when spots (fair or festival) can be as far away as 800 to 1100 miles away, we leave Sunday night/Monday morning before the sun comes up. And, oh by the way, we open on Tuesday at noon.
    You see the problem… As far as a “Little black box recorder, I suppose wouldn’t be so bad? I guess I am just paranoid of all of this “Big Brother watching” sort of stuff.
    Anyway, stay safe out there my friend, until next time.

Holding in your comments can cause constipation. Save yourself the pain and leave a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: