Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA)

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
PRIVACY IMPACT ASSESSMENT

ELECTRONIC ON-BOARD RECORDERS (EOBRs)
FOR HOURS-OF-SERVICE (HOS) COMPLIANCE
Rulemaking Contact Point
Deborah M. Freund
Vehicle and Roadside Operations Division,
Office of Bus and Truck Standards and Operations,
FMCSA
(202) 366-5370
Deborah.Freund@dot.gov
Reviewing Official
Pam Gosier-Cox,
FMCSA Office of Information Technology
(202) 366-3655
Pam.Gosier.Cox@dot.gov

November 6, 2009

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview of FMCSA EOBR Final Rule ..................................................................................... 3
Current Description ofAOBRDs ................................................................................................. 4
Overview of EOBR Rulemaking.................................................................................................. 5
Impact of EOBR Rulemaking on Personal Information of General Public............................ 6
Summary of Privacy Impact Assessment Process...................................................................... 9
Personally Identifiable Information and Rulemaking ............................................................ 10
Information Sharing ................................................................................................................... 16
System of Records ....................................................................................................................... 17

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

OVERVIEW OF FMCSA EOBR FINAL RULE
Introduction
The primary mission of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT), is to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large
trucks and buses. This mission is accomplished by developing and enforcing data-driven
regulations that balance motor carrier safety with industry efficiency; utilizing Federal and State
safety information systems to focus on high-risk carriers and drivers to enforce safety
regulations; targeting educational messages to carriers, commercial motor vehicle drivers, and
the public; and partnering with stakeholders (e.g., Federal, State, and local enforcement agencies;
the motor carrier industry; safety groups; and organized labor) to reduce bus- and truck-related
crashes.
Statutory Authority
FMCSA and its predecessor agencies have had the authority to review drivers’ and motor
carriers’ documents since the first hours-of-service (HOS) regulations were promulgated in 1937.
Beginning with the Motor Carrier Act of 1935, Congress has recognized the Federal
Government’s interest in providing a higher level of safety oversight to commercial motor
vehicle (CMV) drivers than to other motor vehicle drivers. CMV driver licensing, physical
qualification assessments, training, driving performance, and performance of other safetysensitive duties are subject to Federal regulation. These regulations also require documentation
of all assessment results and compliance with CMV operation regulations, such as the Record of
Duty Status (RODS) for documenting compliance with HOS regulations. Please refer to the
preambles of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (72 FR 2340; January 18, 2007) and Final Rule
(Insert FR when applicable) for a detailed discussion.
The HOS regulations are designed to ensure that driving time—one of the principal
"responsibilities imposed on the operators of commercial motor vehicles"—does "not impair
their ability to operate the vehicles safely." (49 U.S.C. 31136(a)). Personally identifiable
information (PII) has always been collected by FMCSA and its predecessor agencies because of
the need to identify the driver of the commercial motor vehicle in HOS records.
Electronic On-Board Recorders (EOBRs) that are properly designed, used, and maintained will
enable motor carriers to track their drivers’ on-duty driving hours accurately in order to prevent
regulatory violations or excessive driver fatigue and to schedule vehicle and driver operations
more efficiently. Driver compliance with the HOS rule helps ensure that "the physical condition
of [commercial motor vehicle drivers] is adequate to enable them to operate the vehicles safely."
(49 U.S.C. 31136(a)(3)) To assist FMCSA in its enforcement of HOS requirements, which in
turn will improve commercial motor vehicle safety in general and highway safety in particular,
FMCSA will require EOBR use by motor carriers with the most serious HOS compliance
deficiencies ("threshold rate violations") as described in the EOBR final rule.

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

CURRENT DESCRIPTION OF AOBRDs
While the EOBR final rule requires certain motor carriers to collect electronic RODS, the
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA, the agency responsible for motor carrier safety before
January 2000), issued a final rule on September 30, 1988 (53 FR 38666), which revised part 395
of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to allow, but not require, motor
carriers to equip CMVs with Automatic On-Board Recording Devices (AOBRDs) instead of
requiring drivers to complete a handwritten RODS (49 CFR 395.15). An AOBRD was defined
under § 395.2 as “… an electric, electronic, electromechanical, or mechanical device capable of
recording driver’s duty status information accurately and automatically as required by § 395.15.
The device must be integrally synchronized with specific operations of the commercial motor
vehicle in which it is installed. At a minimum, the device must record engine use, road speed,
miles driven, the date, and time of day.”
Section 395.15(c) requires duty status and additional information to be recorded as follows:
(1) "Off duty" or "OFF" or by an identifiable code or character;
(2) "Sleeper berth" or "SB" or by an identifiable code or character (only if the sleeper berth is
used);
(3) "Driving" or "D" or by an identifiable code or character;
(4) "On duty not driving" or "ON" or by an identifiable code or character;
(5) Date;
(6) Total miles driving today;
(7) Truck or tractor and trailer number;
(8) Name of carrier;
(9) Main office address;
(10) 24-hour period starting time (e.g., midnight, 9:00 a.m., noon, 3:00 p.m.);
(11) Name of co-driver;
(12) Total hours; and
(13) Shipping document number(s) or name of shipper and commodity.
During the course of roadside inspections and compliance reviews, FMCSA and State officials
assess interstate CMV drivers’ compliance with the HOS regulations using information from
paper and electronic media, RODS, AOBRDs, EOBRs, and supporting documents. When these
law enforcement and safety officials discover HOS violations, they document the violations and
gather evidentiary material to support the charges. This evidentiary material consists of
photographic and xerographic images of paper documents, screen shots of AOBRD displays, and
hardcopy printouts. These images which contain PII are uploaded to FMCSA’s Electronic
Document Management System (EDMS). EDMS is a Privacy Act-protected System of Records.

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

OVERVIEW OF EOBR RULEMAKING
FMCSA is issuing a final rule (“Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours-of-Service
Compliance”) establishing "safety of operation and equipment" of motor carriers and "standards
of equipment" of motor private carriers. When effective, the final rule will allow all motor
carriers to use EOBRs to document interstate CMV drivers’ compliance with HOS requirements;
will require noncompliant motor carriers to install, use, and maintain EOBRs; and will update
existing performance standards for EOBRs.
This final rule helps FMCSA fulfill its mission to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities
involving large trucks and buses by developing and enforcing data-driven regulations that
balance motor carrier safety with industry efficiency and by utilizing Federal and State safety
information systems to focus on high-risk carriers and drivers to enforce safety regulations. The
final rule also allows for the continued collection of interstate CMV drivers’ personally
identifiable information, RODS, and other supporting documentation.
FMCSA has amended the FMCSRs to incorporate new performance standards for EOBRs. Only
EOBRs that are compliant with these new standards shall be installed in CMVs manufactured
beginning two years after the effective date of the final rule. EOBRs meeting FMCSA’s current
requirements and voluntarily installed in CMVs manufactured before the final rule’s compliance
date, two years and 60 days after the date of publication of the EOBR final rule in the Federal
Register, may continue to be used for the remainder of the service life of the CMV. After the
compliance date of the final rule, motor carriers that FMCSA determines to have demonstrated
serious levels of HOS noncompliance will be subject to mandatory EOBR installation, regardless
of the CMV’s manufacture date. If FMCSA determines, based on the HOS records reviewed
during a compliance review that a motor carrier has a 10 percent or greater HOS violation rate
("threshold rate violation") for any regulation in the new Appendix C to Part 385 of Title 49 of
the Code of Federal Regulations, FMCSA will issue the carrier an EOBR remedial directive.
The motor carrier shall then be required to install EOBRs in all of its CMVs and to use the
EOBRs for 2 years unless:
(i) the carrier has already equipped its vehicles with AOBRDs meeting current requirements
under 49 CFR 395.15 prior to the violation, and
(ii) the carrier demonstrates to FMCSA that its drivers understand how to, and do use the
AOBRDs.
FMCSA has also changed the safety fitness standard to require carrier compliance with any
applicable remedial directive.
FMCSA encourages industry-wide use of EOBRs by providing the following incentives to motor
carriers that voluntarily use EOBRs in their CMVs:
(1) revising FMCSA compliance review procedures to permit examination of a random
sample of drivers’ RODS; and
(2) exempting carriers from HOS supporting documentation requirements if certain
conditions are satisfied.

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

The final rule also includes changes to the type and amount of HOS data collected. The final
rule requires EOBRs to record a CMV’s location by referencing the nearest city, town, or village
at least once every 60 minutes. Drivers who continue to use paper RODS and older AOBRDs
are required to record their location by referencing the nearest city, town, or village only when
changing duty status (when coming on duty, when changing from driving to on-duty-not-driving,
etc.).

IMPACT OF EOBR RULEMAKING ON PERSONAL INFORMATION OF
GENERAL PUBLIC
Although FMCSA has permitted the use of an AOBRD to as an alternative to the paper RODS
for over twenty years, under the EOBR final rule, more CMV drivers will be required to use
EOBRs. This broader use of EOBRs will assist FMCSA in its enforcement of HOS
requirements, which in turn will improve commercial motor vehicle safety in general and
highway safety in particular. EOBRs produce electronic RODS, which are commonly viewed as
more accurate and reliable records of drivers’ on-duty driving hours. Affected companies will be
required to maintain the accuracy of their EOBRs, including recalibrating them as necessary.
The final rule will cause each motor carrier issued a Remedial Directive to equip all of its CMVs
with EOBRs. As a result, this final rule will likely impact individual drivers who have had no or
relatively few past violations of HOS requirements to use EOBRS. FMCSA made the decision
to apply the requirement to carriers that had certain violation rates, rather than specific drivers
who had past violations, for two main reasons. The first, and primary, reason is to prevent
erosion of driver safety: FMCSA wanted to preclude the possibility that carriers could easily
circumvent the requirements of a “driver-focused” EOBR Remedial Directive by having their
non-covered drivers (that is, drivers whose HOS records had not been found noncompliant) work
more and perhaps excessive hours to compensate for those previously noncompliant drivers
whose HOS would be more closely monitored. Second, applying EOBR usage to individual
drivers would present complex compliance oversight challenges for FMCSA to implement. If
FMCSA were to apply the “EOBR Remedial Directive” to individual drivers, of which there are
millions, each driver’s period of mandatory EOBR use would be unique, and each driver’s status
would have to be monitored in FMCSA’s IT systems. The magnitude of implementing such a
status change would present significant IT challenges, not the least of which would be driver
misidentification issues, and the diversion of resources from other safety-oversight IT needs.
Because of these challenges, FMCSA decided to apply the EOBR mandate to motor carrier
entities, rather than individual drivers.
FMCSA recognizes that this rulemaking will impact individual’s privacy in the collection of
HOS records by motor carrier companies. Specifically, information from EOBR will create a
more accurate record of the vehicle location and therefore the individual driver of the vehicle. .
Unlike AOBRDs, EOBRs must record the CMV location at least once every 60 minutes. This
increases the amount of data containing PII collected by motor carriers using EOBRs voluntarily,
as well as under a Remedial Directive. As discussed in the preamble to the final rule, FMCSA
decided to require that EOBR should collect data every 60 minutes rather than a shorter length of
time, such as the one minute interval proposed in the NPRM. FMCSA weighed the enforcement

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

value with the operational costs to motor carriers and the privacy impact to drivers. FMCSA
believes the 60 minute interval strikes the appropriate balance between improving the accuracy
and reliability of duty information without creating a costly administrative burden on the covered
motor carriers and without intruding unnecessarily upon the privacy of drivers. With respect to
privacy, it has determined that enhancing the accuracy of HOS records by using electronic
records outweighs the risk that these records could be used for other non-safety related litigation
purposes.
Additionally, FMCSA acknowledges that such electronic data required to be retained by motor
carriers may be attractive for use in litigation unrelated to HOS compliance and subject to use in
both Federal and State courts and administrative agencies. Therefore, FMCSA limited the type
of data collected by the EOBR. For example, the final rule does not require that an EOBR
collect information regarding the vehicle’s speed.
Further, FMCSA emphasizes that the primary purpose for collecting HOS information recorded
on EOBRs is to assist authorized Federal and State law enforcement and safety officials when
they are conducting compliance assurance activities at the facilities of motor carriers subject to
HOS requirements or when they are conducting roadside inspections on the CMVs. Motor
carriers will not be required to upload all EOBR information into any Federal or State
information system accessible to the public. Rather, interstate CMV drivers’ records derived
from EOBRs will be treated in a manner consistent with other types of records (handwritten
RODS, timecards, electronic AOBRD files) from drivers whose records are reviewed. As in the
case of other documentation for RODS, data from EOBRs will only be uploaded to Federal and
State systems during the course of an appropriate law enforcement activity (e.g., compliance
review). The information uploaded and retained by authorized Federal and State law
enforcement and safety officials will be limited to only those motor carrier records that reflect
violations of HOS requirements.
For an interstate CMV driver to log into an EOBR, the driver must enter information (such as a
user ID and password) into the EOBR that uniquely identifies the driver. Alternatively, the interstate CMV driver may use other means (such as a smart card or a biometric reader) that uniquely
identifies him or her to the EOBR.
The EOBR must have the capability of displaying all of the following information:
(1) driver’s name and EOBR user ID on all EOBR records associated with that driver,
including records in which the driver serves as a co-driver;
(2) driver's total hours of driving during each driving period and the current duty day;
(3) total hours on duty for the current duty day;
(4) total miles or kilometers of driving during each driving period and the current duty day;
(5) total hours on duty and driving time for the prior 7-consecutive-day period, including the
current duty day;
(6) total hours on duty and driving time for the prior 8-consecutive-day period, including the
current duty day;

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

(7) sequence of duty status for each day and the time of day and location for each change of
duty status for each driver using the device;
(8) EOBR serial number or other identification and identification number(s) of vehicle(s)
operated that day;
(9) remarks, including fueling, waypoints, loading and unloading times, unusual situations, or
violations;
(10) driver’s override of an automated duty status change to driving if using the vehicle for
personal conveyance or for yard movement; and
(11) other data as the motor carrier deems appropriate, including the date and time of
crossing a State line for purposes of fuel-tax reporting.
A motor carrier that is required to use EOBRs under the terms of a Remedial Directive, or
voluntarily chooses to use EOBRs for recording drivers’ RODS in place of using hardcopy
records, must ensure the EOBR meets the following additional conditions in order to address all
HOS requirements in effect as of November 19, 2008 (73 FR 69567).
(1) EOBR must not permit alteration or erasure of the original information collected
concerning the driver's hours of service or alteration of the source data streams used to
provide that information.
(2) EOBR must be able to track total weekly on-duty and driving hours over a 7- or 8-day
consecutive period.
(3) EOBR must be capable of recording separately each driver's duty status when there is a
multiple-driver operation.
(4) EOBR device/system must identify annotations made to all records, the date and time the
annotations were made, and the identity of the individual making them.
(5) If a driver or any other individual annotates a record in an EOBR device/system, the
annotation must not overwrite the original contents of the record.
A driver's RODS must be submitted according to the following conditions:
(1) The driver must submit each RODS electronically to the employing motor carrier.
(2) For motor carriers not subject to the remedies provisions of part 385 subpart F of the final
rule (Remedial Directives), each RODS must be submitted within 13 days of its completion.
(3) For motor carriers subject to the remedies provisions of part 385 subpart F of the final
rule, each RODS must be submitted within 3 days of its completion.
(4) The driver must review and verify that all entries (the duty status information generated
by the EOBR and the driver’s annotations to same) are accurate prior to submitting each
RODS to the employing motor carrier.
(5) The submission of each RODS certifies that all entries (duty status information generated
by the EOBR and annotations by the driver) are true and correct.
FMCSA will continue to require motor carriers to maintain HOS compliance information
(including supporting documents, when applicable) for a period of 6 months from the date the
information was generated. This information must be made available to authorized Federal and

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

State safety and enforcement personnel during on-site compliance reviews. EOBRs will be
required to display the information described above on the visual display device installed in the
CMVs to ensure that authorized Federal and State safety and enforcement personnel conducting
“roadside” inspections of CMVs can determine if inter-state CMV drivers are operating in
compliance with the applicable HOS requirements. At the roadside, interstate CMV drivers will
be required to have 8 consecutive days of EOBR records.

SUMMARY OF PRIVACY IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROCESS
This Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) was conducted because EOBRs utilize personally
identifiable information of inter-state CMV drivers. This PIA updates the PIA issued on
November, 2006 in conjunction with the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). The NPRM
and PIA are posted
at:http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=0900006
4802ca69e.
This PIA analysis reflects the framework of the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Fair Information
Practice Principles (FIPPs). In addition, the FMCSA Office of Information Technology is
releasing “Best Practices for the Protection of Personally Identifiable Information” (Best
Practices for Protection of PII) to provide guidance on privacy and security protections
consistent with the FIPPs standards and practices and equivalent to those required under the
Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. § 552a), the Federal Information Security Management Act
(FISMA) of 2002, and the information security standards issued by the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST).
The DOT privacy management process is built upon a methodology that enables DOT/FMCSA
to have the information, tools, and technology necessary to effectively protect private
information while allowing FMCSA to achieve its mission. The methodology includes the
following:








Establishing appropriate authorities, responsibilities, and controls for information
management with input from systems architecture, technology, security, legal, and other
disciplines;
Identifying, documenting, and addressing privacy risks;
Developing and implementing appropriate policies and procedures, and updating them
when necessary;
Monitoring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures;
Providing training to all DOT employees and contractor personnel who will process or
have access to PII; and
Effectively maintaining the following privacy protection principles:
(1)
Openness
(2)
Individual Participation
(3)
Purpose Specification
(4)
Collection Limitation

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)

Use Limitation
Data Quality and Integrity
Security Safeguards
Accountability and Auditing

Privacy was a significant consideration in the development of the final rule. A number of motor
carriers and drivers expressed reluctance to use EOBRs because the data on these devices could
be used inappropriately. Drivers objected to using EOBRs because they were concerned that
their privacy could be invaded. They believed EOBRs could also be used to identify non-HOSrelated violations, such as speeding. Motor carriers were concerned that data from EOBRs could
be used in post-crash litigation. Both parties asked FMCSA to allow EOBR data to be used for
HOS compliance enforcement only.
FMCSA recognizes the industry’s concerns in this area. Therefore, only information required to
determine compliance with HOS regulations will be required to be displayed on EOBRs or made
available to enforcement officials. For example, the final rule does not require EOBRs to record
engine speed. This information can be derived from other data.
FMCSA’s interest in promoting highway safety and preventing CMV accidents is compatible
with requiring use of EOBRs to accurately document the number of hours interstate CMV
drivers are driving, are on duty or off duty, and are using a sleeper berth as well as the time and
location of changes in duty status. Except in the context of an investigation of a crash or a
complaint of alleged FMCSR violations, FMCSA does not inquire into an interstate CMV
driver’s off-duty activities. FMCSA is interested only in whether the driver was afforded an offduty period and had an opportunity to obtain restorative sleep. A RODS that documents the date,
time, and location at each change of duty status is used by FMCSA to reconstruct travel
itineraries of interstate CMV drivers in order to determine compliance with HOS regulations.
Only HOS records showing violations will be retained by enforcement and safety officials and
transmitted to FMCSA systems, for FMCSA’s use in reconstructing itineraries and proving
violations.

PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION AND RULEMAKING
In order to perform HOS compliance-assurance and enforcement functions, Federal and State
law enforcement and safety officials must use personal information to verify the time, date, and
location for duty status changes of interstate CMV drivers to ensure that motor carriers and interstate drivers comply with applicable HOS rules. The final rule does not change the requirements
concerning who must comply with HOS rules. While the EOBR final rule does require the
collection of more information about an interstate CMV driver’s duty status, and requires
location to be recorded with greater frequency while the CMV is in motion, the final rule does
not require any additional information from EOBRs concerning drivers’ activities and the
location of such activities that are beyond the scope of the HOS rules.

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

Best Practices for Protecting PII Associated with EOBRs
The FMCSA Office of Information Technology has issued best practices to assist the Office of
Enforcement and Program Delivery and the Office of Policy and Programs in protecting the
privacy of PII associated with the implementation of the EOBR final rule. These best practices
incorporate standards and practices equivalent to those required under the Privacy Act and other
Federal and State laws that implement the Fair Information Principles. FMCSA’s best practices
for protecting the privacy of PII associated with the implementation of the EOBR final rule
include the following:
Openness Principle: FMCSA does not secretly collect PII, and FMCSA clearly discloses its
policies and practices concerning the PII it possesses. To that end, FMCSA has provided the
public with a description of the information practices associated with the implementation of the
EOBR final rule through the NPRM. As noted in the preamble to the final rule, FMCSA
received 752 comments on the NPRM. The final rule addresses the comments received during
the 60-day public comment period. In response to the comments, and in accordance with the
narrow scope of the NRPM, FMCSA determined that it would not exercise “the full extent of its
authority at this time” [e.g., to require all motor carriers to use electronic HOS records],
“however, and [would] instead propose a more targeted approach of mandating EOBR use for
only those carriers with deficient safety management controls, as demonstrated by repeated
patterns of hours-of-service violations.” (72 FR 2341) The final rule does not require all motor
carriers to install and use EOBRs, but it is consistent with the NPRM in targeting only those
carriers found by the DOT to have substantial HOS noncompliance and associated deficient
safety management controls. The final rule and this PIA fully describe the nature and type of PII
collected and used pursuant to the Motor Carrier Act of 1935 (Public Law 74-255, 49 Stat. 543,
August 9, 1935, now codified at 49 U.S.C. 31502(b)).
Individual Participation Principle: FMCSA ensures that individuals have the right to (a) obtain
confirmation of whether or not FMCSA has PII relating to them; (b) access the PII related to
them within a reasonable time, cost, and manner and in a form that is readily intelligible to them;
(c) an explanation if a request made under (a) and (b) is denied and be able to challenge such
denial; and (d) challenge PII relating to them and, if the challenge is successful, have the data
erased, rectified, completed, or amended. FMCSA has adopted effective and timely procedures
to permit each driver to examine the PII that is on file concerning him or her and to obtain a copy
of such information upon request. FMCSA has a redress process in place, the DataQs system,
which provides an electronic means to file concerns about Federal and State data released to the
public by the FMCSA. Specifically, the DataQs system allows a filer to challenge data
maintained by FMCSA on crashes, inspections, registration/operating authority/insurance
matters, compliance reviews, safety audits, enforcement actions and household goods mover
complaints. DataQs cannot be used as a substitute for challenging safety ratings/civil actions
that are handed through 49 CFR 385.15 or 385.17 (Administrative Review). Through this
system, data concerns are automatically forwarded to the appropriate Federal or State office for
resolution. Any challenges to data provided by State agencies must be resolved by the
appropriate State agency. Once a State office makes a determination on the validity of a
challenge, FMCSA considers that decision as the final resolution of the challenge. FMCSA

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

cannot change State records without State consent. The system also allows filers to monitor the
status of each filing.
With respect to EOBR data, FMCSA does not collect or retain comprehensive EOBR records,
but only those portions of EOBR and other HOS records necessary for enforcement actions.
Under the DataQs process, FMCSA does not “correct EOBR records” that are stored in the
motor carrier’s information systems. However, if an interstate CMV driver is incorrectly
identified in an enforcement action, the DataQs system provides an avenue for a driver or motor
carrier to request FMCSA to correct enforcement information that it may store in its own
information systems.
Purpose Specification Principle: FMCSA specifies at the time of inspection the purpose(s) for
collecting PII. Unless individuals are given written notice of, and provide express written
consent to, any proposed change to these purposes, the subsequent use of the PII is limited to the
fulfillment of those purposes or to purposes that are compatible with the EOBR final rule.
Unless otherwise authorized by applicable law, FMCSA limits its use of PII related to the
implementation of EOBR regulations to the performance of official responsibilities pertaining to
law enforcement, the verification of personal identity, or highway and commercial motor vehicle
safety.
FMCSA informs drivers that PII in the EOBR record may be transmitted to law enforcement
agencies only if such disclosure is related to the performance of official responsibilities
pertaining to law enforcement, the verification of HOS pertaining to highway and motor vehicle
safety, or any other official use expressly authorized by law. Possible uses include those
described in 5 USC 552a(b) and those that DOT has published pursuant to 5 USC 552a(b)(3)
(see 65 FR 19476 at 19477 for General Routine Uses applicable to all DOT systems; see the
System of Records Notices (SORNs) for MCMIS and EDMS for system-specific routine uses.
The authority for this rulemaking is described in the Overview section of the preamble to the
EOBR Final Rule. The collection of PII (specifically the interstate CMV driver’s name) is a
necessary part of the final rule because it allows Federal and State law enforcement agencies to
match an inter-state CMV driver’s name with his or her HOS record. Generally, EOBR records
containing PII will be collected by Federal and State law enforcement and safety officials during
compliance reviews and roadside inspections, two types of enforcement activities. During a
compliance review, a Federal or State official will review multiple interstate CMV drivers’
RODS that cover a six month period. The purpose of this review is to identify violations of HOS
regulations by the carrier and individual driver. However, a law enforcement or safety official
will only collect EOBR data containing PII if a violation exists. (See Collection Limitation
Principle Section).
During the roadside inspection, the EOBR data, without the PII, is transferred through a wireless
connection to a law enforcement or safety official’s laptop computer. The law enforcement or
safety official reviews one (or two, in the case of team drivers) interstate CMV driver’s RODS
data that covers eight consecutive calendar days. Software analyzes the EOBR data and the law
enforcement or safety official reviews the results of the data analysis to determine if a citable
violation exists. If the official determines that there are no citable violations, the record is
deleted on the laptop. If one or more citable violations are found, the law enforcement or safety
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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

official manually enters a unique personal identifier to link [electronically attach] the violation or
violations with an individual driver. The record is then uploaded to a Federal or State system.
Generally, the purpose of this review is to identify violations of HOS regulations by individual
drivers. However, to protect an interstate CMV driver’s privacy from being inadvertently
transmitted to unauthorized parties, FMCSA has determined the driver’s name must not be
included in the wireless transmission at roadside (For a more detailed discussion see Information
Sharing Section. ).
Collection Limitation Principle: FMCSA only collects PII necessary for official purposes as
stated in the EOBR final rule. In addition, FMCSA only obtains such PII by lawful and fair
means and, to the greatest extent possible, with the knowledge or consent of the individual.
FMCSA considered the potential use of EOBR data in litigation unrelated to HOS violations
because of its evidentiary value (i.e., more accurate and reliable). Additionally, FMCSA
recognizes that the final rule causes those motor carrier companies with a certain pattern of HOS
violations to collect more data containing PII and causes motor carrier companies to collect
electronic records on inter-state CMV drivers who may never have violated the HOS regulations.
However, FMCSA acknowledges that it cannot by a rulemaking affect the rights of private
litigants to seek discovery from motor carriers, States or FMCSA in Federal and State judicial or
administrative proceedings. Similarly, existing provisions governing FMCSA disclosure of
motor carrier and inter-state CMV driver information under the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) are not affected by this rulemaking, but may be under State/local information access
laws.
In consideration of these factors, FMCSA limited the collection of PII by requiring only that
information relevant to CMV safety regulation be collected (49 CFR 395.16(b)). Specifically,
FMCSA is only requiring motor carriers to use EOBRs to collect, along with the driver’s name,
location data at each change of duty status and at intervals at least every 60 minutes while the
CMV is in motion. FMCSA decided on this location-recording interval to ensure travel distance
and the associated driving time are recorded and reported at a level of accuracy appropriate to
ensure HOS compliance. Based on the information provided by commenters and the Agency’s
decision to continue to require that on-board recorders be integrally synchronized with the
vehicle’s engine use status, FMCSA believes the new requirement achieves an appropriate
balance between accuracy, affordability and impacts to privacy.
In addition to limiting the number of motor carriers that must collect this data electronically, the
final rule does not revise the record retention requirements applicable to motor carriers required
to use EOBRs. The record retention requirements for HOS will remain at 6 months for all motor
carriers. At the roadside, an interstate CMV driver will only be required to have in his or her
possession HOS records for the current day and the previous 7 days.
FMCSA also plans to follow past practices in releasing individual driver information collected
from EOBRs. In response to past FOIA requests for driver RODS from motor carriers, FMCSA
redacts all information that reveals the identity of an individual driver when the FOIA personal
privacy exemption allows it to disclose HOS records in a redacted form.

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

Use Limitation Principle: FMCSA only uses PII for the purposes and uses originally specified
in the EOBR final rule except (a) with the express consent of the individual, or (b) as authorized
by law.
The only information FMCSA requires EOBRs to collect is that which is necessary to determine
interstate CMV driver and motor carrier compliance with HOS regulations. For that reason,
FMCSA does not require EOBRs to collect data on vehicle speed, braking action, steering
function, or other vehicle performance parameters. FMCSA requires automatic recording of
CMV location information only to the level of precision (State, county, and populated place)
found in the National Standard for Named Physical and Cultural Geographic Features maintained
by the Department of the Interior’s United States Geological Survey. The final rule requires
location tracking only once every 60 minutes while a CMV is in motion in order to allow
enforcement personnel to determine an inter-state CMV driver’s HOS compliance. When
conducting roadside inspections, authorized law enforcement and safety officials will view eight
consecutive days of RODs pertaining to one or two drivers and when conducting compliance
reviews, authorized law enforcement and safety officials will view 6 months of RODS pertaining
to multiple drivers.
FMCSA will limit its disclosure of PII collected and stored on DOT systems as a result of the
EOBR final rule consistent with Privacy Act System of Record Notices for Motor Carrier
Management Information System (MCMIS) and Electronic Docket Management System
(EDMS). HOS information recorded on EOBRs will be examined by Federal and State
authorized law enforcement and safety officials when conducting compliance reviews or
roadside inspections. Although motor carriers are not required to upload this information into
any Federal or State information system accessible to the public, EOBR information that
contains HOS violations will be uploaded into a Federal or State system by an authorized Federal
or State law enforcement and safety official. EOBR information that shows violations of HOS
rules will be uploaded to MCMIS and EDMS.
Data Quality and Integrity Principle: FMCSA ensures that PII collected, used, and maintained
related to the implementation of the EOBR final rule is relevant to the purposes for which it is to
be used and, to the extent necessary for those purposes, that it is accurate, complete, and current.
Data accuracy concerning interstate CMV drivers’ RODS will improve as a result of the rule,
which establishes new performance standards for EOBRs and mandates the use of EOBRs by
motor carriers with chronic non-compliance with Federal HOS rules. Interstate CMV drivers
and their employing motor carriers are responsible for the accuracy of the information collected
by EOBRs, as they would be if they used handwritten RODS. Drivers will have the opportunity
to review all information generated by EOBRs and to make additional annotations (entries to
augment, but not overwrite, other recorded data) as needed to clarify situations where there may
be inconsistencies in the data. Interstate CMV drivers will also certify the accuracy of the duty
status information generated by EOBRs. If a driver knowingly falsifies his certification, then he
could be liable for civil penalties pursuant to 49 USC 521.

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

New provisions include the default status for EOBRs and audit trails. The “default” status for an
EOBR is defined by FMCSA as on-duty not-driving (ODND) when the vehicle is stationary (not
moving with the engine off) for 5 minutes or more. When the CMV is stationary and the driver
is in a duty status other than the default status, the driver must enter the duty status manually on
the EOBR. The performance requirements of § 395.16 also add a provision for automatically
recording the location of the CMV. The final rule requires a recording interval no greater than
60 minutes. FMCSA believes that this interval (rather than, for example, 15 or 30 minutes)
strikes the appropriate balance between improving the accuracy and reliability of ODND status
information and off-duty information without intruding unnecessarily upon the privacy of the
driver. Drivers will still be required to record the location of each change of duty status, as
currently required under §§ 395.8 and 395.15. Finally, as stated in the NPRM (72 FR 2352),
FMCSA recognizes that the need for a verifiable EOBR audit trail—a detailed set of records to
verify time and physical location data for a particular CMV—must be counterbalanced by
privacy considerations.
Security Safeguards Principle: This principle requires that PII be protected by reasonable
security safeguards against loss or unauthorized access, destruction, misuse, modification, or
disclosure. These safeguards incorporate standards and practices required for Federal
information systems under FISMA and the information security standards issued by NIST,
including the Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS PUB 200) and the
NIST Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems (NIST 800-53).
FMCSA has a comprehensive information security program that contains administrative,
technical, and physical safeguards that are appropriate for the protection of data. These
safeguards are designed to achieve the following objectives:




Ensure the security and confidentiality of PII related to HOS regulations.
Protect against any reasonably anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of
PII.
Protect against unauthorized access to or use of PII.

As a general matter, any HOS violation information that authorized Federal or State law
enforcement and safety officials collect from EOBRs, save on their portable computers at
roadside or at carrier facilities, and transfer to FMCSA, will be uploaded and stored in MCMIS
and the EDMS, both of which are FMCSA Privacy Act Protected Systems of Records.
Accountability and Auditing Principle: FMCSA is accountable for compliance with the
Federal Government privacy and security policies and regulations. In addition, FMCSA is
responsible for identifying, training, and holding Agency personnel accountable for adhering to
Agency privacy and security policies and regulations. FMCSA follows the Best Practices for the
Protection of Personally Identifiable Information Associated with Implementation of the EOBR
Devices and Information Security Best Practices. As stated in the September 2004 NPRM (69
FR 53386, at 53392, Sept. 1, 2004) and reiterated under Audit Trail/Event Log in the NPRM
preamble (72 FR 2340, at 2351, January 18, 2007), the Agency recognizes that the need for a

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

verifiable EOBR audit trail – a detailed set of records to verify time and physical location data
for a particular CMV – must be counterbalanced by privacy considerations.
Any HOS violation information that authorized Federal or State law enforcement and safety
officials collect from EOBRs, save on their portable computers at roadside or at carrier facilities,
and transfer to FMCSA, will be uploaded and stored in MCMIS and the EDMS, both of which
are FMCSA Privacy Act-protected systems of records.
FMCSA operates MCMIS and EDMS in accordance with the E-Government Act (Public Law
107-347), the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002, and other
required policies, procedures, practices, and security controls for implementing the Automated
Information System Security Program.
Only authorized Federal and State government personnel and contractors conducting system
support or maintenance may access records in these systems. Access to records is password
protected, and the scope of access for each password is limited to the official need of each
individual who is authorized to access the systems. Additional protection is afforded by the use
of password security, data encryption, and a secure network.
These systems capture sufficient information in audit records to establish what events occur, the
sources of the events and the outcome of the events. These events are identified by type, location
or subject. This type of auditing ensures accountability and support after-the-fact investigations
of security incidents. Access to the audit logs are restricted and controlled by system
administrators.

INFORMATION SHARING
FMCSA has developed several software tools to facilitate the roadside safety inspection process.
Authorized law enforcement and safety officials use the Aspen software (and States’ equivalent
systems) to collect information concerning the driver and vehicle to generate an electronic
inspection report. The development of a new software tool, eRODS, will allow enforcement and
safety officials to assess HOS information rapidly and accurately at roadside to determine
whether or not the driver is in compliance with the HOS regulations. The process of transferring
EOBR data, including PII, at the roadside using eRODS is described in the following paragraphs.
During a roadside inspection, authorized law enforcement and safety officials would use the
eRODS software to download the information stored in an EOBR device, and then to determine
if a driver is in compliance with HOS regulations. Access to an EOBR device can be either via a
wireless or a wired protocol. The preferred method to access the EOBR is via a wireless
connection – the law enforcement and safety official would use a wired connection only if the
wireless transfer fails. The eRODS software does not download the name of the driver or any
personal identifier, but rather transfers duty status, time, and miles driven. The final rule
specifically excludes PII from the EOBR files downloaded at roadside so as not to subject PII
transmitted by wireless means to inadvertent or deliberate capture. The eRODS software then
analyzes the EOBR HOS files and displays a graph that represents the data and highlights areas

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U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Electronic On-Board Recorders for Hours of Service Compliance

of violation. The eRODS software also generates a summary of interstate CMV driver activity
and HOS violations.
Once the law enforcement or safety official reviews the results of the eRODS analyses of the
EOBR records, he or she determines whether a citable violation actually exists (for example, if
the analyses generate one 5-minute violation of a single 10-hour off-duty period, it would not be
likely that a citation would be written). If no citable violation exists, the law enforcement or
safety official immediately deletes the entire EOBR file. If the safety official determines that a
citable violation exists, the safety official manually enters the cited driver’s PII (driver name,
license number, issuing jurisdiction) into the Aspen software, along with the citable HOS
violations identified by eRODS. The law enforcement or safety official completes the inspection,
notes any other safety violations (additional driver violations, such as an expired medical card,
and vehicle violations such as brakes out of adjustment or inoperative lighting devices) into the
Aspen application.
The inspection record is saved, and the EOBR file is also saved as an attachment to the
inspection record. The entire inspection record is then uploaded to MCMIS.
FMCSA’s interest is that each driver used by a motor carrier is uniquely identified for purposes
of recordkeeping and that each motor carrier ensures that drivers enter duty status information
accurately. How individual drivers are identified internally—by name, by employee number, or
by another code—are left to a motor carrier’s discretion. However, FMCSA very strongly
discourages a motor carrier from using a Social Security number or driver’s license number
because of the potential for persons to obtain access to information that is not relevant to HOS
compliance assurance. It is a motor carrier’s responsibility to select and implement information
security policies — including issuing and updating identification and information system access
codes — appropriate to its own operations.
It is worth noting, however, that by eliminating the use of individual names in the wireless
transmitted EOBR record, it becomes more difficult for unauthorized users to capture that
information from a stream of transmitted information and easily tie it to a specific individual. For
this reason, the driver’s name is not transmitted wirelessly from the EOBR to the roadside
officials’ portable computer. The official will then manually enter the name of the driver (and
the name of the co-driver if applicable) into the portable computer. The transmission of data
from the official’s portable computer to MCMIS takes place later, and the information is
encrypted for transmission.

SYSTEM OF RECORDS
This rulemaking will not result in a new or revised Privacy Act System of Records for FMCSA.
This rulemaking does not cause or require new or additional information to be collected in
MCMIS and EDMS that is not covered by the existing SORN.

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