Electronic Logs are a Joke

Well on paper 37 years never thought it was so hard to fill out.....

 

i can't fill out the paper, nor do i have the desire. my laptop and printer work perfectly fine for me.

 

Werner Enterprise

 

From what I've seen, no one has pointed this out... who says they didn't stop for a quick nap, waiting for dispatch (still have hours), 30 min break, or their 8 hour?? I drive nights on i80, and it it difficult to get back on a solid night schedule after being up during the day while at home. If my attention or focus starts to wander and i am feeling fatigued then I will pull over at a ts or rest area, catch an hour or 2 nap... When otr I had to do a few 8 hr breaks, or deliver and run to the nearest ts to wait for a dispatch (it could take an hour to 4hrs depending) while I still had time in my 11/14.

Please op don't just assume these people are cheating the system because your mind jumps to it... also the evos aren't that evil, it's actually very easy to use, and saves time vs when I've run paper.... also a big benefit... During inspections the dot asks for my logs I state I have elogs and they tell me to have a nice day after giving me my inspection form.

Also... When I ran teams... sometimes our sleeper berth times might overlap slightly once due to shippers and recievers, or one driver just needed a nap...

 

I don't think this is what he is saying at all...

His point is, he likely will be soon FORCED to purchase an elog system. He feels he doesn't need it to do his job safely... And in his case(probably and owner op) He feels that he doesn't need to baby sit himself.

I happen to feel the same as him.... While we both would likely agree that MANY drivers DO need a baby sitter. We do not, and are insulted by this presumption.

Hope this about sums it up.

 

I never understood this association of elogs and safety. A plogger is just as safe AND unsafe as an elogger. It is the driver that determines the safety not the means of how they log it. Anyone who says otherwise is seriously misled.

First a definition
ba·by-sit also ba·by·sit (bb-st)
v. ba·by-sat also ba·by·sat (-st), ba·by-sit·ting also ba·by·sit·ing, ba·by-sits also ba·by·sits
v.intr.
1. To take care of a child or children in the absence of a parent or guardian.
2. To take care of or watch over someone or something needing attention or guidance.
Emphasis mine.
The elog in its simplist function other than a electronic log is a countdown clock. It babysits you no more than does a clock. The only things it does automatically for me are:

-after 2 miles driving, it will put me on line 3,
-if the truck is stationary for 5 minutes while I am on ljne 3, it will put me on line 4, and
-if I am on line 3 and I turn off the truck, it will put me on line 4.

Aside from those three things it does on an automated basis, it does nothing else with the exception of letting me know when I am with 1 hour left remaining of my hours available. It doesn't alert me if I am on the wrong duty status line, it doesn't tell me when I have to sleep and when I have to wake up. It doesn't care if I drive illegally. It will tell me that I am in violation of hours.

If you already drive 100% legal each and every time on paper, then an elog isn't going to tell you what you already don't know. But, if you what you drive and what you log are two different stories, yes, the elog will let you know you are in violation but it won't stop you from driving.

The elog compared to a plog is no different than comparing a spreadsheet to a ledger. It's just an electronic version of a paper product with the usual updated features.

I believe there about four types of folks that don't want to upgrade to elogs.
1. Those who don't see a need to,
2. Those who are unable to afford the cost,
3. Those who don't like technology or fear it, and
4. Those who are unable or unwilling to run with the bounds of the HOS in a legal manner.
An elog is not for everyone and there is no right answer whether one should elog or not.

Will elogs make you safer? No
Will elogs make you compliant with HOS? No
Will elogs tell you when to sleep or wake up? No
Should everyone have elogs? No
Will elogs be mandated in the foreseeable future? No, not if OOIDA has their way. So join OOIDA and help them stop further legislation.

 

Drivers have pointed out that elogs or starting ones clock coerces one to drive, even when it might be a fatigue safety issue. While on paper on could take a nap, be refreshed... continue on with a little fudge on paper. The current rules for splitting the log sometimes just doesn't work.

It was also my assumption that there is a gps data transmittance to the company, with elog data... This is what they want.

 

How do you know this for sure? If in fact you pull a fuse and this works, your mileage (odometer) stays running. All E-Logs are connected to the engine (ECU) consequently affecting the E-LOG/QUALCOMM after the unit is back up and running.

 

if that is what he was trying to say he wouldn't have started by worrying what the other trucks were doing
would he
and then he needs to be mad at the goverment not other drivers

I have no trouble with reading comprehension

 

No driver out here needs a "baby sitter". If everyone was on paper like drivers were for decades, they would learn to run paper as well as anyone ever did before. I keep getting the feeling that a lot of name calling and accusations are nothing more than a fearful response to the unknown. And that is usually why negative comments get thrown around, because the individual is just plain afraid of something they have never dealt with. Usually why some people are so against guns, they have never been to the range and found out fun shooting can be and that guns are just mechanical objects. But to hear them holler about guns, you would think that guns have life of their own and can shoot without the help of a person.

A lot of the drivers at my carrier, O/O and company version, had almost a heart attack over the idea of using e-logs. Heck, I was pretty apprehensive about them myself. But I realized it was irrational fear over something I had never used. Was just checking in with safety dept the other day to pick up some more paper supplies and such, and we started talking about this, and the general consensus has been from drivers now that they want nothing to do with paper logs anymore. I pretty much feel the same way. I could easily go back to paper if I had to, but I have no desire to do so.