Wireless phones equipped with satellite-based navigation technology could help trucking companies cut down on accidents if officials change rules for tracking truckers.

Xora, a developer of Global Positioning System software, has created a solution that would monitor how many hours truck drivers have been on the road. Federal rules prohibit them from driving for more than 11 hours because of concerns that they may become drowsy and more likely to cause an accident.

Xora's solution, GPS TimeTrack, uses a GPS-enabled wireless phone to log the time truckers spend on the road and transmit that data to a central location. But that solution does not comply with a rule that requires tracking systems to connect directly to the engine.

Xora officials have requested a waiver from the Transportation Department. With the technology, trucking companies could give drivers GPS-enabled wireless phones.

That would be good news for Cameron McCoy, an operations manager at motor carrier ACI Motor Freight in Wichita, Kan. He relies on scribbled notes from drivers to ensure that they comply with federal requirements.

McCoy and federal officials need this data to decrease accidents related to tired drivers. DOT estimates that more than 5,000 truck-related deaths occurred in 2004.

"We need to do something to go paperless," McCoy said. "Right now, we go through every log by hand." If a manager is responsible for 50 drivers, that manager must tabulate 350 logs a week, which takes a long time.

For most other management duties, such as calculating billable hours, checking speed and tracking location, McCoy gives drivers Nextel GPS-enabled wireless phones. At the office, he and the dispatchers can view maps generated by software within the phones to help them issue assignments to drivers. Xora's GPS TimeTrack software also reports speed and distance. The phones beep and send text-based warnings when drivers exceed 67 miles per hour.

McCoy wants to use TimeTrack to instantaneously create reports that monitor hours of service. The technology does not satisfy government rules, however, which stipulate that automatic onboard recording devices, or black boxes, must be connected to the engine.

"Customers wanted to know if we could do DOT logs on the phones," said Ananth Rani, vice president of products and services at Xora. "The problem is that we needed an exemption from [the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration]. They have a rule for anything that captures these hours of service on electronic systems. The rule is that it needs to be connected to the engine. When we put it on the phone, clearly we could not be connected to the engine."