Werner Enterprises Granted Unique U.S. DOT Hours-of-Service Exemption
OMAHA, NE –
Werner Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WERN-news),
one of the nation’s largest truckload transportation
companies, today hosted a ceremony at which it became the only
trucking company in the United States to be granted an exemption
from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) agency to utilize its Global
Positioning System (GPS) technology to record drivers’
hours-of-service (HOS).
Werner Enterprises’ drivers are allowed to document their
hours-of-service using a GPS-based paperless logging system as a
replacement for paper logs.
Greg Werner, President and Chief Operating Officer of Werner Enterprises, said, “This is a great day which comes at the end of six years of hard work by many people. We continue to believe that the use of technology will make our highways safer and are proud of the role Werner has played.”
The two-year exemption is a milestone for Werner Enterprises and the trucking industry. After six years of pilot-testing and monitoring Werner’s use of this GPS technology application since June 1998, the FMCSA approved the exemption that no longer requires Werner drivers to prepare handwritten paper records of drive and work time. Based on this experience, FMCSA stated its belief that the exemption achieves a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, that provided by using the current paper log system.
FMCSA Administrator, Annette M. Sandberg, formally signed
the exemption at the Werner Corporate Training Center in Omaha.
Recognizing Werner’s outstanding creativity in the use of GPS
to accurately track and report the work activities of truck
drivers, Administrator Sandberg stated, “This supports
Federal HOS regulations that help to ensure truck drivers get ample
rest and, consequently, are more alert behind the wheel. Innovation
and technology are critical to achieving our goal of improving
safety on the nation’s highways.”
Werner Enterprises, Inc., is a full-service transportation company providing truckload and logistics services throughout the 48 states, portions of Canada and Mexico. C.L. Werner founded the Company in 1956. Werner is one of the nation's largest truckload transportation companies with a fleet of 8,475 trucks and 22,950 trailers as of September 30, 2004.
Werner Enterprises, Inc. common stock is
traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol WERN.
