Arkansas Trucking Association

Few Drivers Harassed While Using Electronic Logging Devices, Survey Finds

Responses to a recent survey, conducted by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), found that few truck drivers feel they are harassed by their employers or shippers, and drivers who use electronic logs experience no more harassment than those who use paper logs.

The agency conducted the survey to study concerns that harassment will increase under the pending electronic logging device mandate-concerns raised during 2011 court ruling that said the agency needed to consider the possibility of harassment under the ELD mandate.

“The evidence in this survey research does not support concluding that harassment occurs due to being in a situation where [hours of service] are logged using ELDs,” the agency said.

The mandate will require most drivers to eventually switch from paper to electronic logs. It will set standards for the devices and the supporting documents that regulators need to confirm compliance, as well as protect drivers from harassment.

The agency surveyed and interviewed drivers and carriers, asking about the type and frequency of their interactions. The drivers were given a list of 14 kinds of interactions that could be considered harassment, and were asked how they viewed them.

Fewer than 30 percent of the drivers considered any of the interactions to be harassment, and 42 percent said none of them were.

The interactions most likely to be considered harassment were interruption during off-duty time (28%), asking the driver to work when he felt tired (28%) and asking the driver to falsify his logs in order to work longer or delay a break (26%).

"Fewer drivers experience regular interactions with their carriers that they consider to be harassment," the agency said.

Perceptions of harassment were generally the same no matter which logging method the driver used. There were differences in perceived harassment between paper logs and ELDs, but they were not statistically significant , the agency said.

“Two percent of drivers experienced an interaction that they considered to be harassment and that they associated with the HOS-logging capabilities of the ELD.”

The survey found drivers generally are positive about the way ELDs can cut their paperwork, but some believe the devices reduce their independence and give management too much information about how they spend their time.