• Event data recorders, or “black boxes,” record many parameters, and can be part of the vehicle’s ECM, or part of separate system, such as an ELD.
• Event data recorders can be useful in maintenance operations, to provide insight into driver operation, and most importantly, to access data after a serious crash.

Event data recorders are intended to track the driver’s and vehicle’s activities, and provide a means to improve the performance of both. They are also known as “black boxes.” These recorders can track many parameters, including:

• Vehicle speed (minute-by-minute and average)
• Brake applications:
  • Times when the brakes were applied
  • Number of times the brakes were applied
• Brake force applied for each braking
• Engine RPMs — minute-by-minute and average
• The driver’s engine demands and the engine’s performance

These systems can be part of the existing electronics on the vehicle that only needs to be accessed and/or activated, such as the vehicle’s electronic control module (ECM), or they can be a separate system installed to track the driver and vehicle performance. Many electronic logging device (ELD) systems have at least limited capability in this area. It is important to know what data the vehicle and its systems are collecting for three reasons:

• Some of it is useful in maintenance operations.
• These systems can provide insight into how the driver is operating the vehicle.
• Finally, if the vehicle is involved in a serious crash, agencies and attorneys are going to request access to the data. If this happens, the company had better know what data is there for them to see. They (the agency and the attorneys) will know what data is generated by the vehicle and its systems, so the carrier should as well.