Some tech companies tell Truckinginfo.com that in the last two weeks, a number of fleet customers have called to ask if the automated driver log systems they have been using are illegal.

Concern among the mostly private fleets began when commercial truckload carrier Werner Enterprises on Dec. 2 conducted a widely reported ceremony to celebrate a two-year exemption from log rules from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Apparently, some fleets using automated logs began to worry that they might need a similar exemption. Those worries came to light when Brian McLaughlin of PeopleNet Communications, an automated log system provider, emailed trucking editors.
The Werner publicity about an exemption made some fleet execs wonder if perhaps they might need such an exemption as well, McLaughlin explained.
Turns out most deployed systems, including PeopleNet’s, are quite legal. Specifically they comply with the FMCSA regulation referred to as 395.15. Werner’s system, which the company developed itself over time and at great expense, does not comply precisely with 395.15 – hence the need for an exemption.
PeopleNet wasn’t the only company to receive calls from customers.
“We have had some customers asking about that. We've just pointed them at regulation 395.15,” said Tom Flies of private fleet technology provider XATA Corp.
Joel Beal of Tripmaster, another provider of automated driver log systems, said while none of their customers had made specific inquiries, he was aware of the general concern among fleets that they might need exemptions.
PeopleNet’s McLaughlin said misunderstanding of the Werner exemption causes many fleets, both private and commercial, to dismiss automated logs out of hand.
“Some people think, ‘I have to do what Werner has done?’ That’s a lot of hassle,” McLaughlin said.