The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) recently commenced research to develop a framework for assessing the costs and benefits of trucking industry regulations, beginning with hours-of-service (HOS) rules and the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate. 

The HOS/ELD survey asks motor carriers, truck drivers, law enforcement, and other industry stakeholders to assess the overall HOS rules, the ELD mandate, and nine specific provisions of both regulations.

Participants will evaluate each regulation based on its perceived safety benefit and cost of compliance. The survey also asks respondents to recommend changes to individual provisions that could improve their safety benefit and lower compliance costs.

ATRI said responses will remain confidential, with data presented only in aggregated and anonymized formats. Interested participants can respond to the survey by October 16.

The initial research focuses on HOS and ELD requirements, but the resulting benefit-cost framework is intended for use in evaluating other trucking regulations involving safety, workforce, and environmental issues.

What this means for the trucking industry

The research could give fleets, drivers, and other stakeholders a structured way to assess how regulatory requirements balance safety benefits with compliance costs. Because the framework is intended to extend beyond HOS and ELD rules, the research could also provide a method for evaluating additional trucking regulations in the future.