OOIDA speaks out against tech company’s request to extend driving window
An autonomous trucking technology company’s exemption request from FMCSA’s hours-of-service requirements would put drivers at risk by exposing them to more hours behind the wheel, OOIDA wrote in formal comments to the FMCSA.
Pronto.ai requested a renewable five-year exemption from the 11-hour driving limit and the 14-hour driving window. Pronto asked for drivers equipped with the Copilot by Pronto advanced driver assistance systems, the SmartDrive Video Safety Program, and “operating under certain other safeguards,” be allowed to drive up to 13 hours in a 15-hour window.
Pronto’s rationale is that its technologies “greatly mitigate the risks of driver distraction and inattentiveness and assist the driver in maintaining safe operations.”
On May 20, OOIDA submitted its comments in opposition of Pronto’s exemption request.
Technology ‘can actually increase the risk’
“Pronto’s exemption request asserts that vehicles equipped with advanced driving systems such as automatic emergency brakes, adaptive cruise control, driver-facing cameras and lane departure warning systems all enhance safety,” OOIDA wrote. “In reality, these technologies come with their own dangers, and we would argue that they can actually increase the risk of a crash in many cases.”
The Association also cited a 2019 study by the American Automobile Association that said “automatic emergency braking systems with pedestrian detection perform inconsistently, and proved to be completely ineffective at night.”
Driver-facing cameras also won’t benefit safety, according to OOIDA.
“Besides the inherent privacy concerns, inward-facing cameras are another example of costly technology systems that offer no safety benefit and are simply another distraction in the cab,” OOIDA wrote.
OOIDA also questioned how technology would mitigate driver distraction and inattentiveness.
“Pronto’s exemption would increase the time-on-task without any real justification other than drivers will be driving longer but will have less stress because of safety systems that only work if the driver is fatigued,” OOIDA wrote. LL