ELD BECOMES LAW IN 60 DAYS

http://www.overdriveonline.com/ooida-fmcsas-eld-mandate-abitrary-and-capricious-unconstitutional/

OOIDA just sued to counter the ELD mandate!

 

Sorry but my truck is used for commercial and for personal so yes it is unconstitutional!
People that just say give up or never going to change it are why these ridiculous regs never get beat.
Yeah your lovely screen may say 2miles from Gary IN but the actual data is within 100 ft most times.
I think it was cowpie that said a restaurant gets inspected so we should just leave if we don't want ELDS guess what we get inspected as well for and during work but they do have to let any health inspectors know where they went during their down time why the heck should we? If I want to run see a friend an hour away that's my choice! Even during an audit or inspection.
Then we have the issues where the dang things don't work right. And yet we are required to carry paper anyway plus show last 7 days if you don't have them since the #### thing is broke your not compliant anyways.
What other industry wants to make you purchase specific equipment to do the job when it can be done just as safely without said equipment?
Ran both and the clock always pushed me harder to make it before it ran out.

 

When these "lifestyle truckers" come in an lambaste professional drivers its pretty ###### comical to me. The lifestyle truckers and all their nonsense and subjecting themselves to the outright abuse from shippers, receivers, dispatchers, all for the sake of making money and or pretending that they are delivering that load of paper towels to starving widows and orphans at all times...its pathetic and tiresome. Just like several other topics, the drivers who destroyed the industry and the pay and made some of these electronic devices necessary to companies to protect themselves FROM the drivers who operate like morons.. complain the most about the mess they created. GET OUT! Stop threatening the industry with the loss of such fantastic super truckers.. LEAVE ALREADY!

 

tsavory, food safety agencies can do spot, no notice inspections at will. Check with your local restaurant.

No you don't have to carry paper of the last 8 days, even if the Elog takes a dump right before the inspection. I can fax or show them the last 8 days right on my phone from the Qualcomm right up till the Elog crashed. I am only required to carry paper logs for the time it is down.

What other industry requires purchasing equipment when the job can be done safely without it? Try the construction industry for starters. Farming is another, as it was perfectly safe to operate old John Deere tractors with a hand clutch, no fenders between the tires and the operator, and no roll over protection when I was a kid. Now, you are going to have to pay for all of that kind of stuff on a new ag tractor because of government mandates. And that only scratches the surface.

I suppose some can fall victim to feeling the clock is pushing them. I just haven't succumbed to that paranoia. Just like yesterday. The clock was ticking the 14. I stopped at the house, had supper with the wife, took a shower, and took off again till the clock ran out. No pressure to keep moving or any other nonsense. I don't do much different with an Elog that I ever did on paper. But then, I didn't let some dweeb in a cubicle decide for me how to do my job, even when on paper. And I still don't using Elog.

And I take no abuse from shippers or receivers. I have pulled away from docks at shippers and gone on to another load if they wanted to be stupid. I will work with customers, but I take no crap from them. When I became an adult, I put away childish things.

 

You have to be able to provide the last 7 days and can if PeopleNet answers to fax.

Yeah they can spot check during working(including non business hours) hours not when everyone is off and not there been there done that.

I knew you would say the construction and sorry I spent years in the field from framing to underground pipe reconstruction and not once did I find a piece that was mandated to buy that did not truely have a safety factor. But willing to be proven wrong.
And I will give you farming to a degree. But they are not forcing farmers to buy and install fenders and rollover protection on already owned just the new ones have to have it.

Yeah I have stopped by eat dinner and enjoyed the wife before with the time to and still make appointment on and off paper as well.

But don't expect me to think you or anyone don't feel the pressure when your 5hrs out and only have 4:37 min left on the 14 due to traffic 100 miles back and if you miss this appointment it means you miss the next load getting you home without an extra 10 off.
I am pretty much a I get there when it gets there and I still feel that urge to make it in originally planned time frame.

Don't get me wrong I still do whatever it is I would have on paper but that pressure is there not to have that red line show up.
Last week only ran 1800 miles 5 days everyday 12+ hours off so plenty of time and rest this week 2100 3.5 days so not like I am a outlaw or running stupid.
On paper no constant reminder of 1 hour 6 minutes left it was stop 4:45-5:00

 

But I don't feel the pressure. I set the times when I will be there, and do so taking weather and such things into account. I never base any run on faster than an average speed of 50 mph, which gives me a substantial buffer even on top of HOS limitations. While some might, I never feel under pressure to "stay with it" and "under the gun (clock)". I have the next load booked before I finish the run I am on about 95% of the time. If one feels "pressure" because of an ELD, they really need to ask if it is the ELD or their ability to manage things. I never find myself 5 hrs out when I only have 4:37 left on the clock to where I need to be. And almost always, I have set up a "window" to deliver to account for some unforeseen situation. Most of my loads have a 3 or more hour window for delivery. Same holds true for pickup of next load from a shipper. If there is going to be a delay, I usually know about it early on and compensate before I even head out. I track weather religiously, including time sensitive radar, three day forecasts along my entire run, and plan routes and add time for delivery if the possibility of snow or other bad weather is going to cause a potential delay. I even use various apps, including state sponsored apps, on my phone to show me traffic issues and recommended detours well in advance of getting into a mess. I can see traffic slowdowns and outright shutdowns and avoid most of them. Yes, and see them hands free as the phone is mounted on my dash when I am driving. When I stop, I can check things in more detail from my laptop. My fuelings are preplanned out before I start a run, including cheapest fuel locations along that run. And along with all this, I communicate with those that need to know if there are any issues, both shipper and receiver. All of this is simple and straight forward as I have conditioned myself to plan these things all out for quite a few years. It really isn't that difficult and anyone who follows a similar methodology will find Elogs have little impact on what they do. And my accountant is going to have a good laugh at anyone who says they can't make a living using an Elog. My net last year was $65K, factor back in the $18K I did a Section 179 expensing of new equipment on for JD Gator to use to maintain my circular gravel driveway and do snow removal so I can park the truck at home every weekend (and do a little bit of serious 4 wheeling around the property), and the $12K in meal deduction, which I spend less in one week on food in the truck than 1 day worth of allowable deduction, and my net is really over $90K. And that was taking 4 weeks off, home every weekend and holiday, and by the house 1-3 times a week. No... no dedicated runs either. Just simple dry box freight.

 

If you say so wish my world was that perfect but it's not. May help if you don't want to see grandkids on Easter or show up to a pickup to find out that part of load is at the original quarry and part at a different one which puts you 100 mile behind meaning you have 790 miles instead of 690 to next drop. Missing the 3pm cut off means you sit 14hrs 30 miles from them and 50 to your house when the last 3 months you had something thing planned first thing in the morning. Plus your tranny messes up so you have no reverse.
Also helps that most dry van places ship/receive after 3pm and never have to tarp in high winds causing delays ect...

Most times all goes smoothly but then there are those weeks.

 

That is why I stick with dry boxes. Just an old Viet Vet that my joints hurt more these days and I learned a long time ago not to work harder, but smarter. Nothing against what others do, I just don't want to work like I did 20-30 years ago. Dry boxes are good that way.

 

I switched my self to elogs, and have been logging actual on duty times. If it takes 2 hours to load or unload i log it. If it takes 30 mins to get fuel i log it. I have been honest about it all, and now dispatch is telling me to stay off line 4 as much as possible. The government wants us honest i was doin it. What the hell ya know

 

Well, I will concede, I limit my line 4 stuff. Only the minimum to keep things realistic. Sure, that is technically "cheating" to one degree or another, and I admit it. It gets into those "gray" areas. If I bump a dock and am not involved in the loading or unloading, I am on line 1 or 2. And even if I am required on the dock, I only show maybe 15 minutes line 4 irregardless of how long it takes. Fueling, I don't go to line 4 till after I have swiped the fuel card and entered the data on the keyboard, and immediately back to line 1 when I hang up the hose. And I do all my pre-trip stuff before going to line 4 for about 8-10 minutes and post trip stuff after about 8-10 minutes on line 4 to show it. If I need to turn a wrench, grease the truck, whatever, that is not going on line 4. Any time the truck goes into a shop for work, I log out of the Elog. They can drive it if they need to and nothing tabs against me or upsets a break or reset.