"Man versus machine" dynamics, long noted in the era of the electronic logging device by compliance consultant Jeff Davis in his work supporting carriers during federal and state motor carrier audits, have no doubt come to the roadside. That's what's suggested by Overdrive's analysis of a rise in focus on hours of service violations documented in the 2022 CSA's Data Trail update.
Roadside violations in the hours of service category, in real-numbers terms, fell fast the first three years (2018-2020) after the ELD mandate came into play, but 2021 reversed that trend in a big way, with total violations issued eclipsing the 2019 total and getting close to that seen in 2018. As a percentage of total violations issued at roadside, the trend toward prioritizing hours inspection is up in a more outsize way.
What's driving the trend is a mix of generally depressed vehicle inspection/violation numbers, as documented in the previous part of the long-running CSA's Data Trail series of reports, plus most inspectors' now-entrenched familiarity with assist software FMCSA put in the hands of law enforcement as the ELD mandate came into effect.
See how each state stacks up with this comprehensive report
Understand your inspection risk with these national rankings for inspection intensity, highly variable across the United States, as well as where an inspection is most likely to result in a violation in this report from the editors of Overdrive and CCJ in partnership with sister data company RigDig.
