The final rule requiring electronic onboard recorders on some trucks has been sent to the White House for approval, setting the stage for publication probably in February.

Details are not yet available, but the rule will require recorders for carriers that fail to meet hours of service standards. It also will encourage voluntary use of recorders by various incentives, and will spell out new performance standards for the devices, taking into account the myriad technological developments that have occurred since the current voluntary rule was established in 1988.

The rule was originally scheduled to be posted last year but was sent back to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for review when the Obama administration came into office. The agency finished its review last spring, and Thursday the rule was sent back to the White House Office of Management and Budget for final clearance. It is scheduled for publication in February, but that is not a firm commitment.

For more on electronic logs, see the December issue of Heavy Duty Trucking magazine, available online here.