Hundreds of Canadian trucking companies are facing violations after being stopped at inspection sites throughout Canada and the United States.
Take Prince Freight Lines, for an example, which is facing an ‘Alert’ status in the U.S.
Recently, Prince Freight was threatened with closure if it did not improve the violations against them. According to www.cbc.ca, the trucking company had 14 driver fatigue violations over the last two years (Canadian drivers currently are allowed to drive 13 hours per day as opposed to the U.S. in which it is 11), including three that resulted in injuries due to accidents.
To prevent future violations, Prince Freight hired a safety officer to look after its drivers and make sure that they are abiding by regulations, hoping to earn a ‘Satisfactory’ status in April, the site notes.
And that is not the first trucking company to face a series of violations resulting in an ‘Alert’ status, especially over log book violations, which Canada keeps track of via paper means. The problem with paper documentation is that these logs can be easily altered.
So what is Canada planning on doing about it?
According to Doug MacEwen, deputy registrar of highway safety, Canada is looking to follow the U.S. and incorporate electronic logbooks into its law (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2011/02/23/pei-trucker-fatigue-prince-freight-584.html).
With the Hours of Service proposal in full bloom, The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is currently pushing for the mandatory use of EOBRs (Electronic Onboard Recording Devices) for those companies prone to violations in order to monitor drivers’ hours.
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