FMCSA looks at wireless logging of HOS reports

Part of the benefit of wireless communication is that driver logs for Hours of Service (HOS) reporting are sent to a company's base station and can be then put on paper for compliance.

Now Xora Inc. (http://www.xora.com), whose GPS TimeTrack service runs on GPS-enabled mobile phones and is used to manage mobile workers, has filed for an exemption with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that would allow for the automation of driver logs.

Xora has developed an HOS recording and complementary safety management computer system that utilizes mobile handsets enabled with GPS capability to record hours worked.

The FMCSA recently granted truckload carrier Werner Enterprises an exemption from producing paper logs of drive and work time, based on Werner's use of GPS technology, so expect the agency to closely monitor the development of these types of applications.