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EOBR rule on hold under new administration

A final rule that would have mandated electronic onboard recorders for at least some motor carriers is on hold after President Barack Obama's new administration Tuesday ordered all federal agencies and departments to stop any pending regulations until they can be reviewed by incoming staff.


Former Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration head John H. Hill, who left the agency this week along with the Bush administration, has had much success in clearing a substantial backlog of rules in process. When Hill was confirmed as Administrator in 2006 (he had been Chief Safety Officer), the agency was sitting on a large backlog of rules in various stages of processing. Since then it has issued final rules on hours of service, tougher standards for entry into the business, inspection standards for intermodal equipment and requirements for driver medical certification.


But the final rule on electronic onboard recorders was still awaiting review by the White House Office of Management and Budget as the final days of the Bush administration slipped away.


In early December, during an address at an EOBR conference sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Hill said the final rule went than the original proposed rule, although he could by law not give any details.


Under the original proposal, a carrier would have to use recorders if it violates the hours rule 10 percent or more of the time, as determined in two compliance reviews within a two-year period. This would affect only a minute portion of the national fleet. The agency estimated that fewer than 1,000 of the estimated 650,000 carriers it regulates would be covered.