There were a number of drivers who eagerly supported EOBR's when the idea first surfaced. I wonder if they would have been so eager to embrace EOBR's if they realized what their long term impact would be.
As EOBR's become more widespread on the road and known in the public mind, they are becoming devices that dehumanize trucking by taking compliance out of the truckers' hands and vesting it with machines. And this is only the beginning.
Speed limit monitoring, lane departure sensing, turn signal use tabulation, out of route avoidance, tire pressure monitoring, engine oil level checks, fuel stop planning, and other such things can all be done by machine, and increasingly eliminate the need for skilled and conscientious drivers.
It is very, very significant that people at the highest levels of our government worked out a deal that enables "scary" Mexican trucks into the US by using technology to turn unproven truck drivers into trustworthy robots and the trucks themselves into closely monitored machines.
The greater the technology, the less skilled drivers need to be. And the less skilled drivers need to be, the less they need to be paid.
Skilled human welders were once a common sight on automotive assembly lines. Now robots do the job. Modern factories and warehouses have robots that move the materials about that human fork lift drivers used to move.
Trucking has not reached the point where trucks can drive themselves, but EOBR's are already making drivers more robot-like; thereby improving their reliability and decreasing their value in the marketplace.
When Diane and I wrote our business plan eight years ago, EOBR's were little more than an experimental concept if that. I'm glad we bought and paid for our truck when we did. Trucks like ours may be coming to an end. When the time comes to replace it, I'm not so sure we will. Robots do not need expensive sleepers and drivers may not be making enough money to pay for one.