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This sinister sounding name refers to the Electronic On-Board Recorder (EOBR) or, black box - a topic that pops up every few months or so, and serves to restart the discussion (or argument, if you prefer) of how to enhance trucking safety.

Of course, the black box issue is tied to the larger and seemingly no solution problems of Hours of Service, tired drivers and easily falsified log books.

Lined up in support of the EOBR's are insurance associations and groups such as Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH) and Parents Against Tired Truckers (PATT) that have adopted the issue of truck safety.

These and other groups say that truck drivers are under financial and administrative pressure to drive longer hours than is allowed by HOS regulations and this results in tired and dangerous drivers.

They contend that drivers themselves admit to falsifying log books to achieve those longer periods behind the wheel and increase their income. They support the EOBR's as one solution in identifying the HOS violators.

On the other side of the table are many trucking groups and organizations that say the electronic devices won't accomplish their purpose, and the proposal ignores the economic realities that virtually force drivers to put in long hours.

The history
Federal authorities have long required flight data recorders on commercial airliners to provide insight into the causes of crashes.

Airplane data recorders can store up to 25 hours of flight data that include time, acceleration, airspeed, altitude, outside and inside temperatures, engine performance and many other parameters. In all, a very technically sophisticated instrument.

EOBR's in trucks
In the question of trucking's EOBR's, the term "black box" more properly applies to those brand name on-board computers from manufacturers like Tripmaster, Qualcomm and others, all of whom offer software that can create driver logs more-or-less automatically.

Today's trucks are loaded with sensors that can record a variety of data, including truck speed, engine rpms, temperatures and just about anything that the truck experiences while rolling down the road.

EOBR's can record a driver's hours while the truck is in motion. But drivers in conventional trucking also spend long hours at loading docks, waiting for their trailers to be filled or emptied. And, something an on-board recorder can't tell is if the driver is off-duty or on-duty, not driving. The device will also have no way of knowing whether a driver is truly sleeping or on duty but not moving.

With the EOBR's, it's a simple matter for the driver to access his paperless log with a few key strokes. Some systems send log information wirelessly back to the company, which can then fax an up-to-the-minute log page to authorities, at a weigh station for example. At present, however, automated logs are rare in commercial trucking, with the exception of several companies with their own paperless logging system.

A point to consider: Drivers who have had the in-truck computer systems like Qualcomm's Omnitrak system, have been using a lower tech on-board recorder all along. By using the "macros" or canned messages available in the unit, the driver records and transmits data like arrival times, delivery times, proof of delivery and other information.

EOBR trucking history
Werner Enterprises is a truckload motor carrier of general commodities in both interstate and intrastate commerce. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, it was the first carrier in the United States to receive authorization from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to initiate paperless logs using satellite-based technology.

Each of the company's trucks has a Qualcomm satellite-linked keypad and screen that connects the driver and the truck to the company's operations center in Omaha. Werner began installing Qualcomm satellite connections in its trucks in 1992. In 1995, the company began testing the Paperless Log System, while continuing use of the traditional paper logbooks. In 1998, The Federal Highway Administration officially authorized the company's adoption of the Paperless Log System and the paper logs were phased out.

When a driver gets back into the cab to drive he simply pushes the "Start Drive Time" button. When he's finished driving he hits the "Stop Drive Time" button. The information is transmitted to Qualcomm in San Diego and then to Werner's computer for recording and storage.

The system has many advantages, for Werner Enterprises, its clients and the drivers. It includes GPS capability so that the truck's location is recorded as the driver information is transmitted. The information helps the company project drivers' estimated arrival times. It also helps drivers plan their trips more efficiently and improve customer service.

Because of better planning, Werners maintains, the system enables managers to preplan and assign loads based on accurate, future, and available driving hours. This, they say, allows drivers to maximize their time on the road and increase their miles rather than decreasing them.

Is it Big Brother?
The spectre of the government looking over a driver's shoulder through the EOBR is always present in a discussion of black boxes. The possibilities for even tighter control over the professional driver was presented in a Land Line magazine article.

In an a piece entitled, "The Great Black Box Debate", author Steven B. Miller said: "Now, on-board computers can record far more than merely when a truck arrived ó they can document how it was driven along the way, whether it exceeded speed limits and much more."

"Add Global Positioning System technology to that mix, and on-board computers can record where a driver has been as well as how efficiently he got there."

"Add mobile communications, and the boss can be made aware of pretty much anything he might like to know, pretty much any time he wants to know it."

Later in the article, Miller paints a dark scenario in which automated logs can be used as a "disciplinary tool." He gives several examples of how the information could be interpreted to incriminate a driver and says that a possible extension of this would be, "we'll have state troopers downloading truck data wirelessly from the side of the road, then shutting down trucks with something like a TV remote."

Some trucking companies such as JB Hunt actually favor requiring boxes, but doesn't want the data from the recorders falling into the hand of lawyers filing suits after accidents.

Other companies suggest that black boxes shouldn't be required for all carriers, but only for those that have demonstrated a history of safety violations.

Black boxes in expediting
Most experts say that if these devices are mandated, it will take years before implementation is accomplished. Of course, expediting trucks are subject to the same HOS regulations as the rest of the industry, so it's hard to imagine that the emergency freight business will get a pass.

That would be quite ironic, given expediting's safety record and the expedited carriers' strict adherence to all safety regulations.

Panther Expedited Services of Seville, Ohio has been using Qualcomm's electronic log system for two years and
the company's Director of Corporate Services, Jeff St. Pierre says, "One hundred percent of our DOT-regulated fleet is EOBR-equipped, except cargo vans, whose hours are tracked with an hours program as well.

"Paperless logs have allowed Panther to increase it's productivity and fleet utilization because we no longer have to guess about what hours are available for a driver - we now have true data."

"That's a big improvement in what a driver can and can not handle."

He continues, "Obviously, by managing hours to that degree, we've seen a fairly significant improvement in reduction of collisions, on-road accidents and safety. Because there is no way to get around the system, drivers don't feel as pressured and they slow down."

"We've had drivers who have left Panther to work with other carriers that don't use paperless logs and come back to us because they like the freedom that paperless logs offer. It's real-time info, updated to the minute so there's no catching up to do and it's pretty easy. The drivers enjoy it."

"From the company perspective, it gives us real-time management to ensure that we don't have service failures from putting drivers on loads they can't handle. It's reduced our collision frequency and severity so we have fewer claims as it relates to fatigue-related accidents."

"Initially, the paperless logs received a less than enthusiastic
reception," adds St. Pierre. "We didn't experience any turnover due to the system, but we have maybe a dozen drivers who won't use it so we audit their logs very carefully. Fortunately, these drivers are very HOS-conscious and they're "clean" on their paper logs that it doesn't present a problem."

Ken Sawyer runs a solo tractor-trailer operation with Panther Expedited Services and he says of his company's paperless log system: "I love it! I absolutely love it! I resisted it in the beginning just as I resisted Qualcomm at first."

"There have been times when I've been stuck on the Ambassador Bridge where if I had still been on paper logs, I would have been in violation before I even got to the booth.
Because it was less than 3/4 of a mile to the booth it put me on-duty but not on-duty driving. In reality, I had 11 minutes of drive time left but it took me 45 minutes to get across the bridge. The EOBR has worked out real well for me."

Bob and Linda Caffee have been part of FedEx Custom Critical's paperless log test system for close to two years and Linda Caffee states , "We were leery of it at first, but after using it this long, we like it."

"With the EOBR, if we stop at a rest area, the device gives the location and how long we stayed there and other information that makes it very easy to recap when I'm updating the paper log."

"Right now, the FedEx system is not "live" so we use the paper copies but the paper copy originates with the EOBR. It's very accurate and it records everything down to the minute. It's so simple to read, even I can figure out how to log."

Linda adds that if use of the EOBR becomes law someday, it will benefit the driver from a safety perspective: "It will be more fair to the driver because you can't fudge your hours - you won't be able to sit at the shipper's dock all day long waiting to get loaded then drive all night when you haven't had any sleep."

The Black Box - It's on the way.