The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has changed the estimated time required for drivers and carriers to deal with daily log books -- but it's still far less time than two industry groups estimate.

FMCSA raised the estimated time for drivers to fill out daily logs from 2 minutes to 6.5 minutes. The estimated time necessary for carriers to file each driver’s Record of Duty status has been changed from 30 seconds to three minutes daily.
The adjustments are based on comments to an FMCSA notice that the agency intended to seek approval from the Office of Management and Budget to renew current hours of service logging requirements. Public notice and request for OMB approval are a routine process, done in accordance with the 1995 Paperwork Reduction Act.
FMCSA said it received comments from the American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn. -- both indicating that its estimates were too low. ATA estimated that it takes drivers 10-15 minutes a day to properly complete their log sheets and that motor carriers spend some 9 minutes a day per driver processing the logs. OOIDA estimated approximately 15 minutes a day for drivers and 9-10 minutes for carriers.
Based on its revised estimates, the agency calculates that the nation’s commercial vehicle drivers spend approximately 110.4 million hours a year filling out logs. Motor carriers spend some 161.4 million hours a year filing those logs.
FMCSA is still working on changes to the federal hours-of-service rules, which may mean changes in recordkeeping requirements. Meantime, it has requested approval to continue with current record of duty status rules.
Further comments regarding FMCSA time estimates or other issues, such as the effectiveness of this recordkeeping requirement, are due Feb. 11, 2002. The notice appeared Jan. 10 in the federal register, which can be accessed at www.access.gpo.gov. Comments can be submitted electronically at http://dms.dot.gov. Reference docket number FMCSA-2001-9688.