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Our economy is affected by the huge commercial trucking fleet crossing our nation every day. This fleet carries everything we need including such items as food, household goods, construction supplies, construction equipment, gasoline, and fuel to run our vehicles, homes, schools, and businesses.  We are largely dependent on the commercial trucking industry. When there is a breakdown in the system, we can see firsthand the results, as we did during the pandemic - empty shelves and a limited supply of goods.

As important as the commercial trucking industry is to us, it also poses risks to others sharing the roads. Most commercial trucks weigh upwards of 80,000 pounds and may carry dangerous cargo. When commercial trucks are in accidents with other vehicles, their sheer size and weight are no match. The occupants of the other vehicles may be injured or even tragically die.

Large commercial trucking companies used to be required to have a driver’s logbook also called a driver log or daily log, which was a record of a commercial driver’s work hours and rest hours. These logbooks were hand-written. Now, large trucking companies have electronic logging devices, bypassing hand-written logbooks.  

There are times when commercial trucking companies put pressure on their drivers to deliver faster, causing truck drivers to take shortcuts. However, in 2017, Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) became mandatory for most U.S. commercial drivers, so drivers, or trucking companies, no longer hand-record the mandatory information.

What do Electronic Logging Devices Do?

According to GEOTab, a transportation solution business, an ELD is an electronic logging device to automatically record driving time and hours of service (HOS), as well as capture data on a vehicle’s engine, movement, and miles driven. The ELD keeps truck drivers and dispatchers informed of a driver’s status in real-time to support fleet compliance, inspections, and planning.

Because of ever-changing technology, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued an alert in 2022 that by February 22, 2022, truckers with ELD systems that rely on mobile carriers with 3G networks would no longer be supported. Commercial trucking companies had to shift to the more advanced 5G network to have ELD systems operate. If they did not, they would not meet the minimum requirements established by the ELD Technical Specifications, including recording all required data elements and transferring ELD output files.

Data from ELDs is available for law enforcement officers at any time during roadside inspections and following truck accidents. Experts say that the information recorded in ELDs is harder to tamper with, making it easier for law enforcement and Florida personal injury lawyers to have an accurate picture of what happened before a crash. The ELD information may be crucial in determining the cause of an accident. The information on ELDs can be used to determine such things as how fast a truck was going before crashing, whether the driver attempted to swerve to avoid colliding, whether the driver was reckless, whether the driver had exceeded the hours-of-service (HOS) requirements, and/or whether there was a mechanical failure or defect.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports that Florida truck accidents with injuries and deaths are three times higher than the national average. The information contained in ELDs is crucial to personal injury cases.

“We represent people involved in numerous types of personal injury and wrongful death accidents throughout the state of Florida. All of our clients have unique personal injury cases. Our firm provides personal contact and communication along with aggressive representation,” said Attorney Spivey.

"We help victims of truck accidents, such as the family of a 78-year-old female pedestrian who tragically died when hit by a tractor-trailer, and the family whose loved one tragically died when a trailer broke loose from a commercial truck and hit his vehicle."

Should you or a loved one be injured in a commercial truck accident because of the negligence of another, after seeking medical attention, contact Florida Truck Accident Lawyer Randall Spivey of Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. 24/7 at 239.337.7483, toll-free at 1.888.477.4839, or contact us online at SpiveyLaw.com. There are no costs or attorney fees until the firm receives a monetary recovery for you.