The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is exploring a device that would allow roadside enforcement to electronically identify and perhaps monitor the condition of drivers and commercial motor vehicles on the highway. But it is also raising lots of questions.

The federal truck regulator is considering requiring interstate CMVs to be equipped with “unique identification devices,” also known as “universal identification devices.” UIDs would potentially transmit more than just the identity of the CMV — such items as the driver’s CDL status and medical certification as well as the carrier’s name, contact information, vehicle identification number, license plate number, USDOT number, gross vehicle weight rating and more.

If implemented, UID would require an entirely new system to sort safe carriers from those with safety or compliance issues, costing taxpayers billions of dollars.

Learn more about FMCSA’s approach to gathering information on drivers and CMVs in this PrePass Safety Alliance whitepaper, “Understanding Electronic IDs for Trucks.” In it you will discover how data in a UID program can be used, if there is a safety benefit to trucking, and learn about many other trucking industry concerns.