Could edits and annotations draw attention to carrier practices?

Legal compliance for freight carriers often requires substantial investments. Companies need to purchase and maintain special equipment and may even need to hire regulatory specialists who help ensure the company and all of its drivers remain in compliance with all federal transportation rules, like the Hours of Service rules.

The transition to electronic logging devices (ELDs) required changes to how about drivers did their jobs and how many motor carriers ran their businesses. One of the biggest differences between physical books and electronic log books is their automatic creation. Drivers don’t have the luxury of waiting until the end of a ride to fill in some of the details.

Sometimes, what the device in the truck records is not an accurate reflection of what actually occurred. Either the driver or their employer may want to go in and alter the drive time records for a trip. It is possible to edit data recorded by an ELD and also to add annotations. Will doing so frequently lead to issues for your commercial transportation company?

Edits and annotations are common occurrences

The devices used to capture electronic information about individual trips are far from perfect. They sometimes record inaccurate information and cannot see the circumstances beyond the physical elements of the vehicle.

Drivers frequently need to make adjustments because they were on a break, and they need the time recorded as active to make it to their delivery. Employers sometimes notice mistakes when reviewing the records for their drivers and make corrections or annotations. These changes are quite commonplace and therefore do not automatically trigger extra scrutiny.

However, if there are patterns that emerge, such as one driver frequently making questionable changes, it may be something the business needs to address to remain in regulatory compliance and avoid liability should have crash occur.

Accurate records help protect your company

Although avoiding abuses of changes to ELD records is important, drivers and the motor carriers that employ them should always prioritize maintaining accurate records, even if it means altering digital information about a trip. Ensuring proper compliance with all statutory requirements is crucial for transportation businesses trying to turn a profit in an economy with many rising costs. Contact us to see how we can help.