Truck Crash Reference

Engine control modules and electronic crash evidence

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Contents
  1. A device-specific inquiry
  2. Passenger-vehicle EDR rules are not universal
  3. ELDs record a different set of events
  4. Related entries
  5. References
Engine control modules and electronic crash evidence
Common labelBlack box data can refer to different systems[1][2]
Separate recordELD duty-status information[3]

Electronic crash evidence can come from different systems, including an engine control module and an event data recorder. Calling all of it black box data obscures important differences. Federally funded research examines how module data can assist reconstruction. NHTSA's Part 563 rule governs specified light vehicles equipped with an EDR, not heavy tractor-trailers.[1][2][4]

See: Electronic logging devices and duty-status records

A device-specific inquiry

The NIJ-sponsored heavy-truck research concerns the interpretation of electronic control module information for crash reconstruction. It is an author report hosted by OJP, not a statement of Justice Department policy. It supports examining the particular system rather than assuming all trucks capture the same channels or retain the same event history. NHTSA's EDR materials describe another category of recorded crash information. The record source and its technical limitations should be identified before a speed value is described as the vehicle's collision speed.[1][2]

Passenger-vehicle EDR rules are not universal

Section 563.3 generally applies Part 563 to specified vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 8,500 pounds or less and an unloaded vehicle weight of 5,500 pounds or less, subject to listed exclusions and the presence of an EDR. Part 563 does not require a heavy tractor-trailer to carry an event data recorder or set standards for its module data. A reconstruction should not import those passenger-vehicle assumptions into heavy-truck data analysis.[4]

ELDs record a different set of events

ELDs automatically capture information at specified duty-status and engine events and at intermediate intervals under Section 395.26. Their regulatory purpose is hours-of-service recordkeeping. That event-based record should not be described as a continuous video or a complete trace of the collision. Comparing electronic sources can be useful, but the device definitions and recording intervals must remain visible in the explanation.[3][5]

References

  1. abc The Reliability of Digital Forensic Data from Networked Process Control Systems. Jeremy Daily, John Hale and Mauricio Papa, University of Tulsa; NIJ-funded report hosted by OJP. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/311503.pdf. independent. Checked . Source record
  2. abc Event Data Recorder. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. https://www.nhtsa.gov/research-data/event-data-recorder. official. Checked . Source record
  3. ab 49 CFR 395.26: ELD data automatically recorded. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Office of the Federal Register and GPO. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-395.26. official. Checked . Source record
  4. ab 49 CFR 563.3: Applicability of event data recorder requirements. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Office of the Federal Register and GPO. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-563.3. official. Checked . Source record
  5. ^ 49 CFR 395.8: Driver record of duty status. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Office of the Federal Register and GPO. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-395.8. official. Checked . Source record