Truck and bus companies with a history of serious hours-of-service (HOS) violations may be required to install electronic on-board recorders (EOBR) in all of their commercial vehicles for a minimum of two years, according to a proposed rule announced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The proposed rule also would encourage industry-wide use of electronic on-board recorders by providing incentives for voluntary use to promote safety, according to FMCSA. The proposal would require EOBRs to track a driver's duty status, including: identity of the driver, duty status, date, time and location of the commercial vehicle, and distance traveled. It would also add a new requirement to use GPS technology or other location tracking systems to automatically identify the location of the vehicle, which further reduces the likelihood of falsification of HOS information. If adopted, FMCSA estimates that within the first two years that the rule is enforced approximately 930 carriers with 17,500 drivers would be required to use electronic on-board recorders. The incentives for voluntarily installation include submitting a random sample of drivers' records as part of a company compliance review and partial relief from HOS supporting documents requirements. FMCSA also welcomes suggestions from the public for additional incentives. The full Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will be published in the Federal Register on January 18, 2007, and public comments will be accepted until April 18, 2007. To request a copy of the notice, email: news@fmcsa.dot.gov.