Dive Brief:
- A new bill known as the Ghostruck Act would restrict who can modify ELD records to people physically located in North America, aiming to improve safety.
- U.S. Reps. Greg Steube of Florida and Dave Taylor of Ohio said they’ve introduced the proposed legislation to prevent overseas dispatchers from falsifying drivers’ hours-of-service records. The bill was referred on Thursday to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- “Reports have exposed how overseas actors are falsifying driver logs, overworking truckers beyond safe limits, and avoiding accountability when tragedies occur,” Steube said in the announcement. “The GHOSTRUCK Act closes this loophole and helps keep our roads safe.”
Dive Insight:
Existing law does not clearly ban overseas personnel from editing or annotating ELD recordkeeping, jeopardizing safety on U.S. roadways aimed at addressing driver fatigue, the legislators said.
“If an American driver or dispatcher tampers with records that contribute to a fatal crash, they can face significant legal consequences, while foreign-based actors often avoid similar accountability,” the congressional representatives said.
ELD tampering is a growing problem, according to Alex Rosen, ATA’s SVP of legislative affairs. Proponents further linked the issue to areas outside the U.S. in places such as Eastern Europe and Asia.
The bill drew support from the American Trucking Associations, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Florida Trucking Association, Truckload Carriers Association, National Motor Freight Traffic Association and the National Tank Truck Carriers, according to the announcement.
Those industry groups further highlighted the issue in the bill announcement. For example, National Tank Truck Carriers President and CEO Ryan Streblow noted the need to maintain compliance with recordkeeping and protect drivers from undue pressure. And NMFTA Executive Director Debbie Sparks said stakeholders must be able to trust hours-of-service records as accurate and safe from unauthorized manipulation.
“Importantly, the bill ensures that a driver has final approval for any edits suggested by their motor carrier,” OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer also said, adding how provisions will help “improve highway safety, reduce driver coercion and help combat freight fraud.”
