Patent ID: 7117075

Claim:
A method for logging and reporting driver activity and vehicle operation, comprising: identifying a driver of a vehicle; recording operating data with an on-board recorder hard-wired to a data bus of the vehicle, coupled to a vehicle mileage sensing system, and linked to a global navigation satellite system, the operating data including: mileage obtained from at least one of the vehicle mileage sensing system and the data bus; engine use, time, and date obtained from the vehicle data bus; and location, time, and date obtained from the global navigation satellite system; recording a duty status of the driver, the duty status including (a) off duty status, (b) sleeper berth status, (c) driving-on duty status, and (d) not driving-on duty status; creating an hours of service log from time, date, and duty status, the hours of service log including a change in duty status of the driver, time and date the change occurred, hours within each duty status, total hours driven today, total hours on duty for seven days, and total hours on duty for eight days; creating a fuel tax log from mileage obtained from the vehicle mileage sensing system, location obtained from the global navigation satellite system, time obtained from at least one of the vehicle data bus and the global navigation satellite system, and date obtained from at least one of the vehicle data bus and the global navigation satellite system, the fuel tax log including miles traveled between periodic recording intervals, and location, time, and date recorded at each periodic recording interval; comparing the driver's hours of service log to an applicable requirement; indicating to the driver with the on-board recorder whether the driver is in-compliance or out-of-compliance with the applicable requirement; automatically uploading the hours of service log and the fuel tax log to a receiver external to the vehicle using a wireless telecommunications network; emitting a compliance signal representative of whether the driver is in-compliance or out-of-compliance with the applicable requirement to a second receiver external to the vehicle and under control of authorities; notifying the driver to log into the recorder if the vehicle moves and the driver has not logged in; and emitting an out-of-compliance signal if the driver is not logged in within a predetermined period.