One of the tough, unanswered questions about electronic logs for hours of service is how to give the roadside inspector access to the log.

The simplest solution is a cable hookup between the electronic onboard recorder that records the e-logs and the inspector’s laptop, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is including that in its options. But wireless communications are more complicated, requiring agreement on issues such as security, protocols, interfaces and data display.

Just last month, after a meeting with carriers, enforcement officials and EOBR suppliers, the agency decided that the best way to address solve the wireless problem is to build a Web-based system for transmitting logs.