Safety investigators are calling on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to tighten its electronic logging device (ELD) standards after a devastating crash revealed how trucking companies manipulate hours-of-service (HOS) logs. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) included this recommendation in a report following a fatal crash in December 2022 on I-64 in Virginia, where a fatigued truck driver rear-ended a bus and killed three people.
The investigation into the truck accident uncovered a troubling practice by Triton Logistics, the trucking company involved. Reports say they had created fictitious driver accounts within their ELD system, allowing drivers to log false hours and skirt federal HOS regulations.
How did Triton Logistics violate ELD standards?
The NTSB's investigation found that Triton Logistics enabled drivers to exceed their legal drive-time limits by creating false driver accounts in their ELD system. When drivers hit their federally regulated hours, they simply called the company's HOS department, where they were logged into alternate accounts. This gave them more drive time—on paper, at least.
This manipulation allowed drivers such as Daniel Cramer, who was involved in the Virginia crash, to push well beyond the FMCSA's 14-hour driving window and 11-hour daily limit. Cramer had exceeded these limits multiple times in the days leading up to the crash. The investigation also revealed that Triton used a data center in Lithuania to manage and manipulate ELD logs.
The company was hit with a $36,170 fine and given a "conditional" safety rating. This rating indicates that it didn't have adequate safety management controls in place to comply with federal ELD standards. Adding to the list of violations, the company also failed to conduct post-crash alcohol testing on its driver.
Why are truck drivers exceeding their HOS limits?
In many cases, drivers have a financial incentive to exceed their HOS limits. Trucking companies often pay drivers by the mile. This means the more they drive, the more money they earn. The pressure to keep moving often leads drivers to take dangerous risks that compromise their sleep and safety. Cramer exceeded the 70-hour rule by more than four hours in a seven-day period.
What new ELD standards are being recommended?
In response to the findings, the NTSB is pushing FMCSA to strengthen its ELD standards. One key recommendation is that ELD providers create an audit log that tracks several critical details, including:
- The date and time of driver logins.
- Names of anyone who edited the logs.
- Driver's license numbers.
- Changes to the active driver list.
The NTSB also called for trucking companies to implement fatigue management programs and to use video event recording systems to improve driver training and safety.
Additionally, the NTSB reiterated its recommendation that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration develop performance standards for forward collision avoidance systems in commercial vehicles. This would be an important step in reducing the risk of future crashes. The board also called for all trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds to be equipped with onboard video recorders to capture event data.
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