Action
Notice of application for exemption; request for comments.
Summary
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requests public comment on Xora, Inc.'s (Xora) application for an exemption from the requirement that AOBRs for monitoring drivers' hours of service be integrally synchronized with the specific operations of the vehicle on which it is installed. Xora, a software development company, working in conjunction with Nextel Communications, a wireless communications service provider, has developed an hours of service (HOS) OBR software application for use with Global Positioning System (GPS)--enabled wireless telephones and its computer system to document drivers' hours of service. Xora's system performs all of the functions required of AOBRs currently allowed by FMCSA's regulations with the exception of the requirement for integral synchronization with specific operations of the commercial motor vehicle on which it is installed. Xora believes the use of their hours-of-service monitoring system by motor carriers would achieve a level of safety equivalent to what would be provided by AOBRs which are integrally synchronized with specific operations of the CMV.