A new bill has been filed in the U.S. House that seeks to exempt small carriers and owner-operators from needing to comply with the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate.
Sponsored by Reps. Collin Peterson and Greg Gianforte, the bipartisan bill is known as the Small Carrier Electronic Logging Device Exemption Act. If passed, it would exempt all trucking companies with 10 trucks of fewer from having to comply with the ELD mandate.
The bill is similar to a request made by OOIDA, but actually gives carriers even more leeway. The OOIDA request asked that carriers with under $27 million in revenue be exempted for five years. The proposed bill would exempt small carriers and owner-operators from having to comply indefinitely.
Peterson and Gianforte also introduced another ELD-focused bill on Wednesday. While agricultural haulers already enjoy a limited ELD compliance delay, the new bill would exempt them permanently.
“Electronic logging devices are another layer of unnecessary red tape that continues to tie up truckers and puts livestock and Montana livelihoods at risk,” Gianforte said. “This measure is a step in the right direction as we reduce the burden this mandate places on Montana’s small trucking operations, farmers, and ranchers.”
GET IT DONE.
Yea but the damage to the industry is also Already Done!
As a owner Operator it would be lovely to get rid of the ELD. The log book was just fine and it won’t make you end up stopping somewhere you are not comfortable with or feel unsafe. Congress please pass the bill.
Exactly my thoughts, owner ops running there own equipment know how to run their trucks and how to drive safely you don’t need an electronic Computer to tell you
Amen brother
Amen too that!!!
I’ve never stopped somewhere unsafe while on elogs… It’s called trip planning and having backups. I agree with getting rid of the mandate but for*#@$ sake people it you trip plan you will never park somewhere unsafe.
Big carriers wont let this,happen ,the playing field wont be even and,we will be called cheaters again like covenent pres said
The whole point is to get ride of owner operator’s.
This should have been done long before now
ELDs are like riding in a cab with limited funds….. You keep watching the meter, hoping you make it where you want to go! Another stress to go along with the normal stress!
Totally agree I had 4:01 when I left Ontario Oregon trying to Make the Loves in Prosser Washington that showed 4:00 away on the map app or be forced to stop an hour before in Echo Oregon at the pilot before the 84/82 split and lose a whole hour of driving!!! I had to speed through Oregon, run down Cabbage at 70mph and do 70 through 60mph Truck zone Washington all the way to Prosser! I was light and managed to gain 6 mins and make Prosser but look at the cost and unsafe driving I had to do!!! Because of Elog I had to rush and make up time or stop early. Paper I would have took time been 10-15mins over and everything would have been fine!!! Elogs must go!
Amen. This eld is garbage.
I have only been driving 4 years now elogs have it changed the rules its just harder to cheat
And you are such an advocate of ELDs why are you cheating or proposing some one else is ? Are you driving over the road, or some relay job ?
Dear Illiteret Person;
1) preview your writing before hitting send button. Elog’s have not changed the rules ( the word BUT is a double negative) however have made it…
2) you’ve driven 4 years WoW a company driver I presume?!
After 24 years of paper logs without any accidents or violation’s all the seasoned drivers who own their own equipment and business have had more at stake financially than your measly 4 years.
Maybe do to lack of education, math, ability to draw lines on paper You need your ELD.
🤔😮😝 “illiterate” not “illiteret”, and “due” not “do”, lastly, “but” is a preposition, not a double negative, a double negative is something like “I can’t find my keys nowhere.”
You are right it happen to me while I had to cross border going to Canada in Montana Alberta border I was watching the time and had it to the floor very stressful if you ask me.
All of this because of the meter ELD.
Wrong…It’s the small companies that need the elds. There’s no reasonable excuse not to have them except to run over the hours of service. You might as well just exempt them from the hours of service.
Youre wrong. The Owner Operators have far less accidents than the Mega Carriers..We own our equiptment and realize the value and the cost to maintain it. Unlike “newbies” who have absolutely NO idea.
Is that why you o/o’s pull into the truckstops, park on the curb for 4-5 hours, then run another 8-10 hours? YUP, you guys sure know how to do your jobs.
The answer is simple..go back to getting drivers home daily and relay the loads
The railroads still do that and they have more traffic than ever even though they are late.
This would reduce turnover better than anything.
I have over 400000 miles under me and have been looking at this and other issues in transportation for over 30 years
I know it seems inefficient but if you look at it more closely you will find that it is better.
It is just like fuel economy. Even though trains burn gallons per mile if you look at the tons hauled over a given distance and fuel consumed it adds up to one to of freight being moved over 400 miles on one gallon of fuel.
More drivers being played by the hour instead of the mile and getting home more makes for a happier driver and therefore a more productive one
It is well known that the fastest way to burn out of a worker is to over work him or her.
Sean what you say is true I Am Local and fighting to go “part time” & still pull a decent wage. 3 to 4 days a week TOPS! One also needs to STOP urban sprawl if ya force these “city people” onto commuter trains then there’d already be plenty of “infrastructure” for trucks only for sure!
Oh, and BTW, there’s a catch . . . if one gets four-wheelers OFF THE ROAD then autonomous, self-driving long-haul really will be next! Fuel, pollution and “safety” problems SOLVED! We can also put the predatory “DOT” (DPS in Ga) back in the donut shop where they belong!
Agreed. I’m home nightly. I run 602 per day . Granted it’s all desert driving. But I still get my 3 k and have a life.
Is that why you US Express lease operator said rip hoods off other trucks in parking lots?
I have NEVER seen a Swift, Werner, Schneider, England, etc stop for a few hours then take off in my 24 years of trucking yet they’re the ones you see flipped over on the highway, crawling out of a window and saying “WHAT HAPEN???” Small companies have much more to lose than the super fleet companies. Only a greenhorn that came into this industry after elds were in place would like this system. The new truckers of today are happy making $600 a week, planning their buffet stops every night, and prefer automatics over manual transmissions because they know nothing else and their LAZY!
You can’t explain it any better.
I feel I’m a newbie and I agree with that completely
We actually do know how to do our job unlike the mega carrier’s nitwit drivers who take their 30 on the fuel islands tear up more equipment in a week than NASCAR tears up in 5 years
You have no idea what youre talking about.
How would you know. If you’re there that long, your ELD has put you to bed.
Do you know how to do and 8/2 split log. It’s still on the
FMCSA part 395 rules and is legal to use.
For all you book thumpers.
Just sayin.
Sam, ole buddy… YOU are either a newbie or someone that is a troll for the big ATA companies of which want to control the logistical industry and the people working within. YOU have no experience at what it is like or to operate a business such as an owner-operator and a small fleet business. I have taught in this industry and driven over 4.5M miles, with only ONE small accident in Augusta, Georgia where a container company truck driver backed into my Peterbilt while I was eating at a Waffle house across the street. I have driven in 48 states during the time as an O/O hauling most all sorts of freight. No faulty inspections problems or at-fault accidents showing owner-operators have the best drivers and the least at-fault accidents in the nation. Small operators, owner-operators do NOT need a baby sitter, we, they know how to operate our equipment and our business…after all, we have been doing this longer than the DOT and FMCSA together have been in existence. The move to exempt the 10 truck or less owner-operators is the BEST MOVE to solve the problems in the trucking business. The big ATA companies hiring the 3 month experience people, are just asking for more accidents and more danger to the driving public. Owner-operators have the experience and the know-how to operate and do so safely. EMEMPT THE OWNER-OPERATORS AND SMALL FLEETS NOW!!! WRITE, EMAIL, TEXT AND CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TELLING THEM TO PASS THIS BILL NOW!!! THIS WILL SAVE LIVES AND SPEED UP THE FOOD CHAIN ALLOWING MORE PRODUCT TO GET TO THE MARKET, THEREFORE MORE MONEY FOR THE BUSINESS OWNERS AS WELL AS THE OWNER-OPERATORS.
JamesDeanFisher/small fleet owner/operator
Journalist
Most of the accidents are the fault of the 4 wheeler not the big trucks did you read where a 4 wheeler crossed the midan and the family of the 4 wheeler sued and won 90 million we are always at fault
You are so right! Follow my responses to this stuff. I’m a very educated , politically involved driver. ELD is meant for companies who hire business office not accountants or math majors so with the ELD is like drop box mentality. Also acts as tracking device you should feel like a parolee out on probation!
We own our business do they not think it’s important to us to pick up n deliver provide good customer service I’m still here 24 years later
Im agree,shippers, recibe, take longers hrs,exelent idea.
Jesus, you must have never been in a truck, so no comment is needed, try to pickup a load and sit for hours waiting, just to watch your time run out doing nothing.
I’m a small carrier who is exempt from the eld. And in no way shape or form do I use it to run illegal. It is just more crap to pay and comply with that is unnecessary.
You obviously have no idea what the heck your talking about . You must be a company driver.
Yes that’s a company driver
He is for sure
I’ve ran paper logs for over 7 years do your research before you criticize the small CARRIERS.
90% of the time it’s the mega carriers that are having the most accidents . Facts! How they get away with it on their ratings is add about 20 more units to their fleet to keep their scores low . Facts!
Agree
Corporate troll
Thank you. I agree and that is true.
Samuel Gallezzo, you sound like a Government man whom has no expierence as a owner operator. A experienced trucker owner operator will beat any mega company driver whom speaks like you do any given day of the week in Safety, Alertness, and Professionalism!
I have 30 yrs operating a truck..I hold safety places and on time deleiveries..what is a owner operator..let’s see..he took among his self to put his self in debt for a trk..he knew that..most owner ops run fast..straight pipes so everyone will notice them…drive a old Peterbilt that has been wore out for years..why..because they were great people in the 60 and 70’s..those days are gone..I got a question..why don’t we push for more money…quit fighting among ourselves and speak up..instead of trying to stick it to each other..
U the one tht keeps talking about something u have no clue about
@Rhoda Thompson: You MIGHT have 30 years, but you’re quite mistaken about ‘most oo’s’! I own a 2014 386 Pete, no straight pipes. I personally know scores of owner ops that run equipment no less than six years old. I know only two that run old Pete’s with straight pipes- and they are well maintained show trucks.
Before you make unfounded, unfair, and untrue comments about owner ops why don’t you get some education; and you might want to throw in some basic spelling, grammar, and at least an eighth grade graduation level of reading comprehension before you make such ridiculously idiotic comments.
Pete Overhand out of ABQ WHERE ARE YOU ! ? The only way they stopped him was by blowing out truck radiator with a 44 Mag! (lol took extra time but safest way to do it)
Well said.
You sir are wrong. I’ll put the condition of my 2000 KW W900L up against any truck on the road. It’s as safe as any truck. Actually safer because I choose to be an independent operator. My money, my equipment and my reputation. I take great pride in being a professional owner operator. There are still many professional operators in trucking today but sadly there are many like yourself that don’t have a clue. MAGA!
You call yourself a “professional” driver? Let me ask you and any other proposed “professional” drivers a rhetorical question. Have you, in the past week, exceeded the posted speed limit by more than 5 mph? If so, STOP CALLING YOUSELF A PROFESSIONAL DRIVER. You aren’t a professional, you are an idiot who is the root of the whole ELD issue. I see you all, all the time passing me in construction zones, well over 5mph over posted speed limits.
I,’ve followed behind you big red when you tail gated me, and passed me in a no passing zone, nearly tearing off my left side mirror. Your truck spews so much black smoke, you leave a trail of poison everywhere you go! No wonder we have a globle warming problem, it’s all your fault! Just kidding!
Well said brother!!
So says a large carrier driver who drives for probably swift
Derek would blush if he was shown all the laws he breaks.
Shogun, any laws I may be breaking are really obscure, and/or have nothing to do with driving.
Agreed.
You should go around and do research before making such comments.
I’m driving faster than before to make sure that I don’t run out of hours and as a result I’m using more fuel.
I can book a load for after delivering the one on trailer because delays at shipper and receiver and as a result I’m losing at least 2 loads per week. I don’t know about you but I drive my truck to be able to support my family.
I’m working harder for less. And I can’t walk away from the industry because I owe more than what I own. Maybe you own your equipment but not everyone is as lucky as you are.
Please think before you speak. We have families that need us.
(can not book a load)
I definitely agree with you
Well, if you’re running as hard as you say you are, 1) your family won’t be depending on you for long, and 2) you’re doing it all wrong…r.i.p. soon.
Derek how much they pay you for typing mabe i change job too.
Small carriers have a much better record than the megacarriers which definitely need the ELDs.
I’ve used both paper and ELD, starting with ELD at Schneider.
I was honestly more honest on paper than I am and was on ELD.
Besides, the mega carriers edit their drivers’ logs as needed for that particular carrier to meet deadlines that would otherwise be impossible.
They even edit the drive line whilst small carriers cannot do it no matter how hard the dispatch may try
Yes!!! Right on! As a owner op. The Mega carriers like swift,Werner, jb,stevens ect.. I as a owner op. Dont need this bullshit electronics 😠 I and soo many are PROFESSIONAL in our line of WORK,some people dont see it that way…
Eld is killing thousands of people. Have u seen the way these company drivers drive these days. It’s a dam joke.
I woke up a few nights ago, and my eld was trying to smother me with a pillow….come on driver, saying elds are killing people is like saying guns kill people. If you drive like an idiot, and more than 90% of truckers do, company and o/o, you are only giving eld proponents more reasons to demand stiffer regulations. I’m an o/o who uses an eld, I don’t have to run hard, I am paying for a 2018 KW T680, and making decent money, but I’m not making babies like rabbits either. So don’t boo-hoo to me you can’t make it, because I am.
You’re a lease operator who doesn’t realize he is going broke. One breakdown away from needing to file bankruptcy.
Wow Shogun, my comments must have hit close to home for you, you are really making me your target. Dude, you likely don’t know the difference between a lease-op, independant driver and an owner-op, do you? Its ok, you just keep chasing those miles like a good little company driver does…good boy, atta boy.
Troll are you even a driver
Hey…mr know it all..small carriers run illegal..you know that so does everyone else..now it’s not fair for a company driver to have to stop when another driver don’t..we are all out here to make money..RT
So that’s the problem! Company drivers are jealous of Owner Operators, Independent contractors or anyone else who doesn’t have to be monitored like a child!
Rhonda, it all depends on your experience level, if you have less than 3 years experience, your more likely to make mistakes over a 5, 10, 20, year vet,
It’s the large companies that hire students and don’t properly train them that need the Eld’s.
Been saying that for the past 20 years
Agreed!
I had a successful small fleet for 9 years. I had to scratch and claw my way to get there, from one truck to nearly 20, one truck at a time. Weeks away from my family, long days, longer nights. 2008 happened and it all went out the door. I had thought of taking another swing at it until the ELD came into play. You absolutely can’t make money as a start-up o/o or small fleet owner with it. Deregulation and NAFTA have killed rates and created a marketplace where you have to fudge books to make the rates conducive to profit or have an established customer base with the weight of a fleet to influence your rates/costs a bit. If the feds are going to dictate how hard you work, they need to dictate to shippers the rates at which they compensate carriers to make it favorable. What’s funny (in a sad way) is, you can have a heavy equipment operator work 14 (6a-8p) hours and be back to work at 6 am, operating equipment near men on the ground and that’s ok. Employment wages are federally set to minimum standards, while the worker can work as much as they can handle. I’m not saying a driver should be driving tired or working around the clock, but sometimes, I had to pull back to back loads to get to the sweet loads and make the profit margin. It’s all a mess and ELD makes it messier.
If u have been accident free for 1 million miles u should be exempt
Just because the ELD’s may not be required — if the bill passes does not mean that they cannot be useful. My daughter and son in law run a one truck business. She does everything but drive. He DRIVES! So far it is working very well. Paperwork is decreasing, reports are easier to do since they got some trucking specific trucking software. Dad does what Dad does for a living – provide financial and operational consulting – for 50+ years. My point is that while eliminating required use is a good thing and eliminating the hours of service interface with the truck is good, there are a lot of apps out there to be used to improve profitability. It will take 3 to 5 years to stabilize the software – just like the smart phones. Get rid of the hours tracking, take a nap – in a safe – place when you are tired.
If you choose to run one and it works for you thats great.
Trying to force an entire industry to conform to a one size fits all rule however doesnt work and it never has.
If you need it use it. Leave the rest of us small owner-ops alone!
That would be even better, thanks
Good answer.
Agree. The small companies are the ones that need them.
Another brain washed big time company driver talking without realizing that WE OWNER OPERATORS have to clean up the mess that you guys do when you can’t make your deliveries as scheduled or simply your company doesn’t have enough drivers to do such deliveries. Not every OWNER OPERATOR runs illegal all the time. You heard..
That my friend is an absolute lie ! Small fleet owners and drivers are more reasonable and safer drivers for the simple reason they are more responsible than a man who has nothing invested but his ink pen and a sleeping bag. The owners in a lot of those cases drive on a regular basis to give time off for his drivers, for what ever reasons. The relationship is nothing like Hunt or Schneider or Gordon etc, were the driver in most cases, never meets the owner, and only sees him at the Christmas party when he tells everyone what a bad year that the company has had. Their entire being is controlled by someone who in most cases has never been in a class 8 vehicle, other than a joy ride with a friend, never driven in the ice and snow up to their butts and had some monkey in PHX tell him on the QUALCOMM he had better step on it, or he would spend the weekend in Bend Or waiting on a load
Get over this eld thing. Refuse to run cheap freight and not only will the rates go up but you won’t have to drive 18 hours a day to make a living. Stop being so short sighted people!
I agree, unfortunately there are too many drivers out there willing to run freight for .90 per mile and live in the truck. My minimum rate, whether by piece or mile, had to work out to $1.35 per mile and that was in the late 90s. I haven’t run the numbers in quite a while, but I would imagine it’d be much more than that now. Driver camaraderie is a thing of the past. Keep in mind I started out in trucking running farm with a CDL, CB, bag of quarters, toolbox and a hand-me-down Rand McNally, passed on from my grandfather. No GPS, cell phones, electronic engines that you can’t work on or other modern technologies that make drivers more efficient (lazy). So, my opinions are probably fairly outdated, but I can’t see the profitability argument is affected by it. The rates were a battle then and I’m sure it isn’t a cakewalk now. ELD is still a problem without rates being adjusted.
$2 a mile dry van unless I just have to get home from east coast including deadhead.
Right…its the owner operaters that set up their own “driving schools” to turn no experience wannabes into “truck drivers” in two weeks then turn them loose on the highways😡. Get a grip
Set up a,driving school, really ,I never went to a,truck driving school, am I missing something, and I’ve driven over 2 million miles
You do not know what you are talking about. I have 4,3 million miles documented by only 2 insurance carriers, When I started I spent several weeks at a local truck stop trying to get started as a swamper, finally did and worked my butt off for a year before was allowed t drive on the road, Worked for that man for twelve years, running double over the road for 10 years, training drivers, also, his policy was you had to learn to fallow before you could lead. He had a dress code, attitude and personal hygiene expectation, and a trust issue, seated in the fact that each team member was responsible for the truck money that was give to us upon departure each week. No one was considered a seasoned driver until they had run the Northwest for two years.
No one drives 18 hours a day. Grow up. No professional operator wants to sit behind the wheel for over 11 hours a day. Fortunately with rate levels today it’s not necessary. I’m making the same money I did in 2016 and turning 25% fewer miles. Putting 1000$ in your pocket after expenses for a 400-500 mile run is easy to come by right now. If you need to drive over 11 hours per day to make money you’re running the wrong freight
And you better be careful about giving out you location !
Agreed!
My minimum 2/mile
Thought I’ve heard it all , but to hear there are those out there that say it’s the small companies that need ELD in there Trucks
Either they are confused , or perhaps working for bigger companies , not really sure but has to be one of the stupidest statement to date . This ELD is completely for any company unnecessary and only added to make it look like those who make up these laws like they are doing something period I’ve been in this industry for many many years and have seen many issues we all face but ELD is not on the top of the list there’s only one reason for putting this on us and it’s being pushed by bigger companies to crush the little guys who struggle to make ends meet
Its,just bigger companies,forcing little guys,out of business
Exactly. Always has been. ELD is another tool.
Agreed
Agree
Thank Werner for that..
There,safety record,sucks
Jealous, greedy, incompetent, human trafficking , big carriers who don’t give two flying flips about the industry. The pride and honor of being titled not named TRUCK DRIVER, when being on the road isn’t a job but a career. The large mega carriers need diapers!
10-4
Let me preface, I own my truck… And while I’m no fan of eld’s, I think alot of people are confusing piss poor HOS regulations with a device designed to make sure you follow those regulations… To say an eld is a boon for the mega carrier and will squish the little guy, I understand that to say “if we can’t cheat the log book we can’t survive”… Maybe I’m wrong?
That’s actually pretty much what I’m saying. The HOS have always been tough to make mine with, but if you were knowledgeable and skilled at working logbooks you could get around it enough to make a buck. ELD squashes that.
Agreed. Any who says they don’t cheat on a paper log, well, they’re lying about that too. Before you babies piss your diapers, I know better, it’s too easy to do it, I’ve done it, if you run paper, you’re doing it.
Thanks ATA president.
On point.
I am a contract driver for a small carrier company. I have also driven for a mega company. I have seen both sides and understand the need for such devices. Those that are bitching about it are the ones who need it the most. I use one I had to buy my own. These things are a good thing.
Like:)
You’re obviously a newbie. The ATA teet is waiting for you to come suck at it some more.
Yep.
You can say that again Thomas, all I can do is SMDH.
I ll put my 5. Drivers of 2 million + miles
Each over the last 11 to 12 years , against
Any swift , jb , werner, knight , xpo,
And it was dun without a black box in the
Truck. You got brokers that think drivers
Are superman. I tell them
The freight will. Arrive. When the driver
Gets there .
I Don’t Know Why Every Body Freaking Complains About The ELD I Drove Paper For Five Years And Now With The ELD I Still Make The Same Damn Money And Sleep Better Stop Hauling Cheap Frieght Stop Selling Yourself Cheap Just To Go Home. My Total Gross Is Always Above 8000 And My Take Home Is around 5 to 5500 ELD Are Not The Problem You Cheap Drivers Are.
Carlos, maybe you enjoy making that 8k but how much time away from home a month are you to get it :/ ?
And that is the whole truth.
Lets be honest , and then you have Insurance , maintenance and truck and trailer payment ! And like most, the rest is considered wages .
They need to also change the HOS rules for independent owner operators. There is no reason for me to have to count how many hours per week I work. As long as I’ve had 10 hours rest I’m good to go.
No, that is not going to happen, the best you can hope for is the 7 and 8 day log moderator.
It sounds like another company man crying foul against the small carrier
ELD has more dangers as it push drivers to go go go, and more mental pressure and rush leads to more accidents and danger over the road
ELD doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t push anymore than paper. It is literally the exact same as paper without being as easy to cheat.
Exactly right
Sweet rules made by people who never have driven trucks. Exactly right.
Nothing will change on the shippers and receivers end if we give up the ELD.
1982 is when I started finally they don’t even ask anymore about 1000 mile a day trips any more. Yes some of us were forced to run like that to get the higher rates because the bigger Co had ELD and would not do it.
Now rates have went up less trucks and more demand and now sleeping at night with every one else.
No more over night trips!!!!
If your not making money with your ELD right now you are pulling for the wrong Co.
Let’s be safe, all of us.
It’s about time somebody in the house where we pay for them to get rich. to reach down and help out the small trucking companies and o/o.
Unreal, you guys are just unreal . . . Small carriers, big carriers etc., etc., etc. I drove for a couple mega carriers and some small ones. Bottom line, they both need them. Not because of the many that are safe and compliant but because of the money hungry few that will try and figure out any way they can to cheat the system, jeopardizing the safety of everyone around them on the road. Almost everyone on here is not even the target!
You sir are crazy I have been out here for 19yrs and I don’t need a computer to tell me when I need a break or when I need to sleep just like I don’t need a computer to brake for me or tell me distance warning …..some days I need a nap most days I do not and some days I need 10hrs off most days I do not…….uncle Sam needs to worry bout these 4 wheelers who are out here impaired or sleepy I know when to say when
I’ve had you park next to me after I’ve been on a break for a hour. When I get up, your already gone. You took a 8.5 hours break.
Ever heard of an 8 2 split. Learn the rules.
Mac: I agree, 21 years
And you need to buy an Rv, you seem to forget the OSV is a commercial vehicle designed for commerce , not as a recreational vehicle for your person advantage.
Yes this is true a few will screw it up for all of us
What does a ELD has to do with safety? Does it stop a truck from turning over? Does it stop a Truck from rear ending someone? What are it’s safety features??????
NONE!
An Eld presents more unsafe elements than SAFE elements.
An Eld is designed to do Two things:
1. LIMIT THE PAY SCALE OF DRIVERS.
2. ENSURE THAT THE SMALL BUSINESS STAY IN THEIR PLACE. MONOPOLY.
ELD= someome needed a job so, we made something up to give those people a job. Plain and simple
AMEN
They aren’t needed. Why do you need to be monitored, why does someone need to know every time you use the bathroom. We are adults not children.
Then for craps sake, act like an adult, I see most truckers driving like they’re in a Fast and Furious movie, ignoring speed limits in cities and construction zones. And quit complaining about getting no respect, most truckers drive with no respect for laws, if you want respect, EARN IT! Do what you’re supposed to do.
ELD’s for the small businesses,yes. Maybe. But for the big ones,no. I was and still am a truck driver. First of all I am from Germany . We are been using ELD in Europe since 2007. You can not compare de distances jn USA with the ones from Europe. With ELD is very good, cause you know when you start and when you finish your driving hours. You have time to rest. No rest = accidents.
But without ELD you can drive as much as you can and your muscles want,ok? You just throw away the piece of paper and write another one.. nobody knows.
For America, I think ELD is wrong.
I know what I’m talking about.
Let’s just eliminate HOS rules altogether. The only reason to not use ELDs is to be able to cheat HOS rules.
You can’t possibly know why I don’t need or don’t want a government spy box I my truck because you don’t know me or anything about how I operate. What a dumb statement Terry.
Agreed
If you use paper logs, I know.
Lets drive,all day all night take mini breaks
I don’t like ELD’s, but I understand why they were forced on us, google “Kevin Roper”, he, and a gaggle of drivers from large and small outfits brought about ELD’s.
ELD’s do not exist due to newer or older drivers, it is not company vs. O/O drivers, it is not big vs. small outfits, it is the Kevin Ropers of this industry.
It’s not because of Kevin Roper, dude. It’s the micromanagement mentality that has invaded every corner of our lives, plus lack of any credible knowledge on the part of so-called lawmakers. The sad part is how many people just bend over every time Uncle Sam unzips his pants….Clarence Werner, Jerry Moyes, Kevin Knight, Duane Acklie, Don Schneider, and a moron named Jim Hebe have screwed up the transportation business until there’s basically nothing good or right left…
Yeah man I just recently got my own authority and so am totally independent, and yes I own my 05 W900 studio, and yeah I get crappy fuel economy, but like some of u cats are saying: we love our trucks and we take care of em. And like that one chick was saying: let’s quit arguing and figure out how to get these freight prices to go up in OUR favor. 2 bux a mile is a cryin’ shame. Especially when ya know the brokers are making so much on the load! I’ve made some deliveries to a few smaller type businesses with some cool cats and we got to talking about the rates…. I’m like hey y’all I don’t know what they charged u for this, but they paid me 1250$ all in. …. and the cats were like son of a &*&## they charged us almost double that!
There lies the solution that has been the basis of a lot of owner operators for years, Find a company or a product you like and seek out a private contract with the owner or shipping manager or whom ever has the authority to make a contract, eliminate the brokers and agents, give your self a raise and the shipper a little relief and all is well So it work for 13 years
How is it safe these big companies have there speeds up to now 70 75 mph when the driver doesn’t even have respect for his owm equipment hes driving
The few horrific accidents involving trucks made for knee-jerk reactions. It’s presumed it’s the truckers fault automatically when it’s the fault of the clueless idiot behind the wheel of a 4-wheeler. Hence, dashcams are in more and more rigs. Put automatic ELDs in cars and see how fast shit will change.
None of us NEED the ELD. And, it isn’t about safety it’s about control. While it is true, there are those who will operate in an unsafe manner without them, it is also true that the ELD makes many of us less safe as we rush to get our work done in the time the government ALLOWS us to work. Let’s try to remember that, mile for mile, truckers are safer than 4-wheelers. And if safety was the main goal, the focus would be on restricting the unsafe characteristics of automobiles. The government won’t do that because then they would have an all out revolt on their hands.
While there are some bad truck drivers out there, let’s try to remember that most of us are professionals. We should ALL be opposed to the ELD simply because it places the government in the passenger seat of every commercial truck. Personally, I don’t need a babysitter.
The ones saying “I don’t need a computer to tell me when to start and stop driving” are the ones needs more computer on their trucks.
I mean the truck you are running is already telling you when to stop and start driving it’s called engine Computer, if it breaks down then you have to fix it before going anywhere. Hence you are being told to do things.
Small companies are evils who always want to take short cuts to save few bucks and yes they need more regulations. They don’t want to play by rules. It’s very default to sue this small companies for lost wages because most of them are not doing business with the legal way. Play by rules or get kicked out of the game.
If they just did away with the 70 hour clock and the 30 min rule I would be perfectly fine with that. I mean if they make us stop for a 10 hour break every day then we don’t need the 70 hour.
You are all naive! The eld mandate was put in place to kill the little guy who cuts corners to get the job done in an efficient manner! With eld s the single driver or owner op can no longer compete with a mega carrier- all drivers with common sense shoyld shut down for 1 week to show the gvt who has the power! If the teachers did it, drivers can do it!
Drivers need flexibility on the road as this is a dangerous job with lots of issues- traffic, weather conditions, delays at shippers and receivers, etc…To be fair when they put elds in trucks, they also shoulve adjusted the hours of service to make it easier on us! This is not sustainable right now! FMSCA has to step up to the plate and change the hours of service or remove eld mandate!
I agree. I’m in Canada and company I worked for put in ELD’s and all of a sudden I was spending more time in truck for less money. Although in Canada we have split sleeper so if we’re stuck waiting for load we can go to sleeper and do a 3/7 or 6/4 whatever adds up to 10 and minimum 2 hr. Although most ELD’s don’t do the Canadian rules. Also if we take a 2hr or greater SB we can extend our day to 16 hrs. Still only 13 Driving and 14 total Dr and OD but if at the 6 hr Mark we start a 3 hr SB we can restart the 16 hrs from the start of SB but do not increase our HOS
Truck Drivers Matter? Nobody will care, George. They tried it back in the 70s and it was big news until the ‘strike’ was over, now nobody even remembers
I shall debunk your argument eith this, why would one truck try to compete with a mega-corp? The idea or goal of a 1-truck operation, should be to earn loads direct from shipper, eliminate the middle-man. If you base you o/o career on finding best loads from brokers, quit now and stay company driver, you’re doing it all wrong.
Just so we’re all on the same page, if it hadn’t been for all the renegade truck drivers running 2-3 log books and breaking every law they could get away with, there probably wouldn’t be an ELD issue. I know it’s a hard pill to swallow for a lot of you guys, but it’s the cold hard truth.
Just so you understand, I listened to a lot of the debate over the ELD legislation, the overwhelming factor with the ELD issue was company drivers going to sleep at the wheel and killing people, Independent, drivers involved in accidents, and not being able to pass drug screen, and some research the did with the help of Qualcomm, about drivers that shuffled their logs over a period of multiple days, and then being involved in non fatal and fatal accidents, Lawyers being lawyers are screaming for a way to get at any and all who have deep pockets, they were the reason your insurance limits are what they are and they have made more money suing trucking companies and their insurance carriers , than any other faction of our society, that being said when they realized they had lost cases because ,”in their eyes they had been duped”, with the practice of averaging driving time by the speed limit in each respective state, knowing they had lost those appeals ever time 100% of their effort to change, and a long comes the absolute end in their eyes, they can now go back 30 days and one violation is going to get you a summons to a civil suit if you are involved in any kind of a accident ! Don’t believe it ask a lawyer or a legal aid you know to explain it to you
They should only put elds in company’s with bad csa scores
They did and that is were the Law came from
HOS have been around longer then any of us paper logs allowed you to lie and and cheat we all did it now elds are here and we cant cheat that’s the only reason you all are crying
Elds serve only 1 purpose. They make stock holders in Qualcom wealthy. It is always about cash flow.
Bingo. Someone got it right finally.
You are absolutely RIGHT
I see every day all these mega carrier trucks FLYING down the road past me. I do 5 -10 miles under speed limit due to the fact I’m NOT n a hurry. I rest when my body tells me its tired not when this elog shows my time has run out. I run the same routes no matter what state I deliver or pick up in. All of these SO CALLED KNOTHEADS that keep hollaring that EVERY DRIVER CHEATS on paper logs is almost ALWAYS someone that is in an office or they are a brown noser trying to score the best paying loads at their company.
I’m an o/o driver, and I’ll call it like it is, if anyone uses paper logs, there is a lie in it somewhere. I can sit at home in my recliner and do paper logs for a month, it don’t mean I did it. I have tried to run paper logs honest, I couldn’t, I always found a reason to alter a little here, a little there. If you say you don’t cheat a paper log, that’s just another lie.
So does Swift have you on a dedicated run?
Hes,company driver with brand,new truck making 21 cents a,mile ,and home every 24 days for a,day and,a,half
Run Trucking and Shipping Recieving at night more often . Free up all traffic congestion.
More to that than you think Unions so far is what is keeping it from being a reality !
There still isnt any parking after 3 pm on weekdays so its not like elds really made that much of a difference. Babies.
My husband is a trucker so I try to keep awre of changes in the industry, I noticed a lot of comments about smaller companies and owner ops being put in a better competitive position without the ELD. In my opinion the ELD should stay but there are some significant changes to the system that needs to be addressed. We all know that in life the few lawbreakers and short cutters make it tough for the people that follow the rules. If you truckers stood together and protested you would get the results you need!!! If students can organize you can too. We all know America would come to a standstill without you. I was asked in a survey for my opinion about self driving trucks…. Please all of you stop fighting each other before you fight yourselves out of an industry.
It’s because 90% or more of todays truckers, newbies and old hands, run like their trucks (or themselves) are exempt from obeying the speed limits. And the majority of them are chasing miles. It wouldn’t matter one bit if you paid a company driver $1.00 per mile, he/she will drive that truck like a heathern on judgement day, running as hard as they could.
What kind of fuel mileage are you getting with Prime running 55 mph?
It doesn’t matter if you’ll small or large a truck is a truck both small,o/o, or large company truck can kill.If this regulation not fit for one then it’s unfit for all. I’ll ask my congressman keep LED in place just as they are it working.
I agree. My son and I have 2 trucks and trailers running hotshot for 3 years now and are just now getting our legs under us. ELD’s are a big set back for our small operation, financially and from an operational stand point. We were hauling some long distance loads but now staying under the 100 mile radius until something changes or we walk away from it. Just too much hassle for the money. Personally I think the big carriers wanted our business and this was a convenient way to get it.
I have never in my 22 years truck driving career, met a truck driver with so much hostility to other truck drivers, like this guy Derek Walker commenting here. But I met plenty of amateur four wheeler drivers who do. So chances are he is a troll with a hate on. Mr. Walker, if you are still reading this board: Have you ever considered that the HOS as they are, do not consider the differences between people, when it comes to sleep and rest needs? Or that following them to the letter changes your sleep cycle? Which last I read contributes to bad health, stress and heart problems? Get over yourself Mr. fourwheeler.
The lack of sleep and limited contact with other humans make truck drivers to have all kinds of social issues. They never seem to get along, always worried about what someone else is doing, never stick together, and have too much time to think.
Mack. When has HOS rules ever had a consideration for anyone at all. Answer: Never. It is rules, made to be followed, which bt my observations, very few drivers do. Two nights ago, I pulled off on a ramp to do my 10hr break. Within 30 minutes, 3 more trucks were parked there too, when I got up 6 hrs later, 1 more truck had parked, but 2 of the others were gone. HOS Rules followed: none by those two drivers. This is not an isolated incident, I see it all the time.
ELDs = more demand for drivers to do the same amount of work legally, and higher driver pay.
Work less, make the same or more at the end of the week, and enjoy life.
Good…eld’s need to go.
Iam doing Montreal Boston area and Iam often short on time just by 5 to 10min to canadian border where Iam legal again and can get home in aditional 1h this make me drive as fast as I can 105 km/h all the time to get home and not sleep somwhere in Vermont in woods. I never was so upset tired flustrated and scared before. ELD IS KILLER. Before I never worry that I dont make it home. Sucs!!!!
To solve the old problems is that elds are good for truckers running the same route. Not for a 48 state runner or small o/ops. All in timing and you cannot beat time which cause you to speed trying to get to your destination.PLEASE! CONGRESS PASS THE LAW!!
Finally, some hope of common sense prevailing. As an OO I don’t need for anyone to tell me when to work, or sleep. It defeats the purpose of being an OO. I never drove for a mega carrier, or anyone else.
I don’t want to break the rules and work more than I should. I want to be safe, and drive when I’m fit to drive, not when some dam computer tells me so. ELDs put me , and other motorists on the road under great danger.
I just recently decided to quit driving OTR, regional or local until the government , DOT, and all those ego trippin scale dogs start treating the drivers like human people instead of naïve robots . Good luck to those super truckers out there, I’m through with all the stress.
You people that that love your ELD are living in a dream world. I don’t use them because I’m exempt. I’ve been watching trucks that use them and what I see is a lot more unsafe things going on out here like driving like maniacs through construction zones to keep up the pace. Driving 5 mph in loading dock areas so you don’t record movements and cause a violation. I’ve also seen countless number of pissed off drivers because the not getting loaded or unloaded fast enough. The point is I see a lot more unsafe conditions out here then ever before. Open you eyes some of you drivers. Put your video games and phones down. Not to mention the parking sucks out here now because most drivers start in the early morning and about 5pm if you’re not parked your screwed. Yes I am about to retire and I tell you I’m glade. I never heard so much crap out here like some of you 9 to 5 drivers are spouting. Go get a job at home if you want to sit around. Who the heck came up with 10 hours off too. This ELD crap makes you drive when you don’t feel like it some days and sleep when your not tired. The whole HOS is screwed up and I don’t see it working with ELD s unless all you do is drop and hook. I have some friends that are oops and there loosing about 1/3 of the income now. It’s become hard to make a 5 or 6 hundred mile trip out here now. Something has got to give. There’s no flexibility at all.
I just have one question:
Why is it that we are being faced with ever increasingly draconian regulations, while the 4-wheelers out there are still allowed to drive like it’s a circus?
Can Congress or the FMCSA answer that one?
Study after study has shown that over 80% of the crashes caused between cars and trucks, were caused by the cars. Yet, I still see 4-wheelers zigzagging out of traffic, driving in excess of 15 MPH over the speed limit, and you might on occasion see one pulled over by a state cop. I am hearing of or seeing no proposals for imposing regulation on them. Why not? Yes, we’re big and if we get into accidents we can cause a lot of damage, but if lawmakers stopped to look how things were out here in the real world, they would turn their jaundiced eyes away from us, and start taking very long, hard looks on imposing more regulations on the motoring public. They’re the real dangers on our roads, not us.
I wonder if owner operators who are leased to a carrier will be exempt under this bill?
He is not a O/O if he is leased , he is a company truck according to FMCSA
Since the eld been it’s been more accidents no parking more fights than when it was paper logs somethings wrong wit this picture and it’s call NO SAFETY FOR TRUCKERS
You didn’t answer your own question.
The problem here is that :
Some people are very confused so I’m going to my best to clarify.
If you own / lease a truck and you run under someone’s authority YOU ARE NOT AN OWNER OPERATOR.
If you drive for a mega and they made you believe that you own their trucks and you make the payments and they do every paper work for you … YOU ARE NOT AN OWNER OPERATOR.
If you don’t ever see the confirmation for the load you are hauling …YOU ARE NOT AN OWNER OPERATOR….. so you shall shut your mouth / thoughts/ fingers and go somewhere else to give you damn opinions about ELD . You have not idea about being a real independent 100% O/O.
You are a follower. you have not balls to take the lead . You have not guts to take the risk .
You are food for one thing , one thing only ….. you are making the megas CEO more richer and you are getting screwed every day more and more .
So, wake up and stop your baseless and stupid opinions .
Elog are like u on house arrest and u rushing to beat ur curfew time. As today’s truckers it has them rushing and that’s very dangerous. People’s lives are at risk
To solve the old problems is that elds are good for truckers running the same route. Not for a 48 state runner or small o/ops. All in timing and you cannot beat time which cause you to speed trying to get to your destination.PLEASE! CONGRESS PASS THE LAW!!
None
it’s ONLY a $2,000,000,000.burden insisted upon l by those who can’t manage a turd rolling downhill with a stick.
the only ones that want to do away with ELD,s are the cheaters. I can see exempting the livestock haulers but that’s about it
I see you guys with them cheating all the time running 5 mph in the shipping and receiving areas so don’t lay that crap on us. The only ones that want them are the people that can’t do anything on their own. You need a electronic device to tell you when to go to work and go to sleep. Bunch of spineless people we breed in this country now.
Why are we being regulated based on hours of service when we are paid by the mile for the most part. ELD or not we should be able to drive a regulated maximum amount of miles within a 24 hour period before having to take a mandatory break if you are not working by the hour. It’s currently impossible to drive 500 miles within a 24 hour period with E log, yes I am a small carrier with 5 drivers and my own contracts. My drivers are spending more time in their trucks making less money doing dedicated runs. I had a driver just this morning ran out of hours 47 minutes from the customer because of excessive traffic, its a holiday so his delivery appointment is now schedule for tomorrow and he missed his back haul as well. Most drivers including myself sleeps only when tired, not when my E log tells me to. If the powers that be wants safer roads they should start by repairing roads, building more rest stops and parking for trucks, not legislate when professional drivers should drive or go to bed. We pay enough taxes to facilitate that… Owner operators and small fleet owners continue to be cash cows for the fat cats and the government, E log has nothing to do with safety, shame on you…
If you didn’t get my point .
Big trucking companies lobbied and spent so much money pushing for ELD . Now think about that …… do you really think that they (big companies ) will push for ELD if wasn’t convenient for them???? They and you know that ELD doesn’t have nothing to do with safety.
The So call “o/o” ‘argument is that we the real O/O don’t want ELD because we want to cheat. really ? Is the best argument that you can think of?
I will try to educate you “o/o”.
We don’t cheat ! We do the right thing for our health , for other drivers on the road , for the society , for our families and for our business. How do we do it ???? We drive when is safe to do so .how do we know when is safe to drive ??? Every real O/O is different.
That is the reason we are leaders . We take the risk to open up a business . We have the discipline to keep our equipment in excellent condition. We have the discipline to save for repairs, tires , registrations, fees etc etc . We have the guts to conduct our destiny .
Unlike you guys “o/o “ you work under someone ‘s authority, so if you screw it up , you go and look for another company to work for .
You dont take responsibility! You don’t have the balls to do that . You are afraid . you don’t have the discipline to conduct your business on your own . Every time you screwed up the big companies will bail you out with tires , fuel , parts, insurance , drivers …. that is the reason you want ELD , so when your dispatch tell you to drive like a maniac , you can say MY ELD SAYS THAT I CANT .
You like to be told what to do next, otherwise you will pee in your pants .
We don’t like to be told what to do , because we are leaders of our destiny.
The ELD has been such a great burden to us. As a small trucking company the expense is overwhelming. We just don’t have the resources to keep up much longer. This will be the same for most independent owner operators and small fleets. Eventually, they will give up. Small fleets and O/O are the carriers that keep most of the Grocery warehouses going. So when they fold up, then where will America be. Think people.
I have read alot of the replies here and ALMOST everyone has a point, but I do want to give you something to think about, I believe we are all in trouble, while they have us fighting over how’s the better driver ( O/O or company) they are making more and more self driving trucks and more and more companies are preordering them. We drivers with many yrs of service and minimal yrs of years advocating for them knowing it will put more and more drivers out of business and without a job (company drivers). They alway put something in our face to distract us from what they are really doing. I have been a CD and a O/O with 25 yrs+ unders my belt, Im concerned about all of us but not so much the ELD issue.
OK, OK. Look, if you think ELDs are the problem with the trucking industry, YOU’RE WRONG! Same goes for HOS, big companies v. little companies, the DOT, FMCSA, ATA, the government, all of these things are not, I repeat, NOT what is wrong with the trucking industry! I’m going to tell you EXACTLY what is wrong with it. THE DRIVERS, all drivers, it don’t matter who you drive for, be it a mega-carrier, small carrier, or just lil’ ol’ you. Everything listed above are mere symptoms of the underlying problem, which is the American driver. “More miles, more pay” is a common mantra quoted by the bigger companies, and you “mileage-junkies” fall for it every single day, and so goes the industry. Piss on this whole ELD argument, it has nothing to do with the real issue at hand, which is most of you think more miles is great, so you crank up your trucks, and jump through the hoops like good little trained puppies do. Driving for an hourly rate is no better either, because you’re still punching a clock. I get paid a percentage, and am given plenty of time to drive at a leisurely pace, and make better money than you drivers running after more miles, or racing to destinations so I can clock out. Granted, my percentage could and should be a little bit higher, but until all of us drivers start standing up for ourselves and each other, instead of crying about ELDs, or DOT, or HOS or whatever the symptom of the day is, nothing will improve. Lastly, before you cry foul at me, and try to claim I’m on the side of ELDs, or other ridiculous jabs that was made about me in this topic, notice I never said one thing pro or con about ELDs in this whole thread. I have used paper logs more than 85% of my 20+ years driving, and I have no issues using an ELD, on the plus side of them though, when I tell Mr/Miss DOT I have electronic logs, the whole issue of them “looking at my log-book” flies right out the window, and my level 1 inspection is considerably shorter than before. I have even offered to email my logs to the officer, only to be met with the reply “that’s ok”.