Big Brother Or No Bother? Trucking Industry Divides Over New Rules for Logging Timesheets

WASHINGTON — A seemingly innocuous federal regulation is stoking a deep divide among the tractor trailer drivers hauling through Dallas and other locales across the U.S.Starting in mid-December, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration started requiring commercial drivers to outfit their trucks with electronic logging devices to replace the paper time cards the industry has used for decades.The rule, in short, is a tech-centered approach to ensure that drivers take required rest breaks.Advocates, including the Texas Trucking Association, say it's a simple safety measure that will allow drivers to be more efficient. But others, including many smaller carriers, argue that it's a costly burden that could make the roads less safe.And even though the rules are in effect, one Texas Republican continues to press the case.Woodville Rep. Brian Babin has urged the Trump administration to reconsider the mandate. He's pitched the new regulation as the "Dodd-Frank of the trucking industry," comparing the provision to the Obama-era banking rules that many Republicans loathe.And he's worried that "this thing is going to hurt the economy.""It is intrusion by big brother in its worst form," said Babin, who had a commercial driver's license for years.  Continue reading...

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