Why CSA 2010 and E-Logs are a good thing.

Use the remarks section to explain the cause of the delay. If it meets the exemption it's all good, but since most situations do not then it's a non-compliant log. DOT is looking for patterns of behaviors when they do an audit, trust me we had one with guys on eLogs. One driver had 11 violations in the month that they looked at, but no violations were greater than 3 minutes so they weren't concerned with that and we passed with flying colors.

Our stance is that your job only ends up in jeopardy if your attitude demands it. If you make an effort to improve and accept the coaching provided to you it's all good. But if you suck at life and think you're better than the system it's time to part ways. As for the DOT, I'm not too concerned when an eLog is involved. Will my opinion change as more and more companies get on eLogs? Probably, but for now our fatigued driving basic is dropping like a rock so life is good, down 20% in a year and a half.

 

even on paper wouldnt you need to create the note for it?? Same deal with elog. We would get a message to regulatory too.

 

on paper throw day out back it up as needed...problem solved.

 

My exact thoughts.

 

In an age of technology.....

 

So from your company standpoint u like the elog system and thats fine. From alot of us old timers out here we dont want.them in our trucks. As us O/O we like the independence and some of us do run at times in outlaw status. I dont believe in an electronic device to tell me when I can and cant drive or how long I should drive. Driver fatigue in my opinion is driving a 62 mph truck and then having a computer tell u its time to stop. I cant tell u how many company drivers I have spoke with tell me they are not tired but had to park because of elogs. Now u have a driver whos gonna be up say 4 out of the 10 hrs they are suppose to be resting. Just as the dot did away with split sleeper berth and went to the 14 hr without the clock stopping I cant see where elogs can make a driver more rested. I may not agree with u meltom but you sound like u have your ducks in a row just that my ducks fly one way and yours the other.

 

We're trying to take realistic approach to the HOS. We've understand that stuff happens and some times it's beyond your control. Would I like 100% compliance? Of course I would I work in safety, but it's probably never going to happen. So our departmental goal was to make a shift from safety is your enemy to safety is your friend. It's a hard sell but drivers are buying in. We're available 24 hours a day for log questions and will use any freakin option in that book to keep those wheels turning. A lot of drivers said they'd quit, I sold them on trying it for 2 weeks and if the miles dropped they should move on. We lost 5 drivers out of 368. I think those 5 would have done well on eLogs. Those that have learned to use the logs to their benefit and run hard are turning 3200 to 3400 in 8 days. I couldn't give you a 7 day number because I don't live in a 7 day world.

 

Ok thats a good point at least you gave them a shot. Its not for everyone I agree. Im just one of those who does not want big brother in my business all day long. As long as my csa point are at zero and I comply ill keep doing it the way I learned 40 yrs ago. Its worked for me and im not going to change something in my opinion thats not broke. Will I ever cave in and go elogs prolly not ill call it quits when that day comes. Ive been pulled in scales and have passed every time. I have safe driving awards and no service failures. I give u credit meltom for doing it. Its just not for this old timer and others like me.

 

There were wrecks. I just don't remember as many as I have seen in recent years. Most of the time wrecks were caused by the weather of someone coming off a mountain too fast. There were some head on crashes where cars would pass on two lane roads and hit a 4 wheeler or truck. I don't recall seeing a lot of trucks over turned on straight highways for no apparent reason. I am sure that it happened, I just don't remember them. I can't speak for others, but I remember some of the bad, as well as the good. There wasn't as many trucks and traffic, but people were much more respectful of their fellow drivers and there was more of a commeraderie among drivers. Tickets were given out freely and frequently. The difference between then and now is that you could more easily pay them and the cops didn't try to make their monthly salary with a single ticket. We also had some corruption. Local sheriff's would target trucks and out of town 4 wheelers in order to make money for a small town's Some looked at trucks as a revenue source, but not as much as I see today. Trucks are much more comfortable today than yesteryear. I must have missed those playboy bunnies. But we did have some interesting characters in the diner's and cafe's that catered to truckers. I also don't remember the 6 lane highways and it seems that we have always had traffic, other than the occasional new road where you could go for miles and not see another human. Many of the roads we traveled were two lanes, but there were a number of 4 lane highways and most interstates that I traveled only had 2 lanes on each side. I-75 was still being built and I-40 was not yet completed. We had to deal with cities and traffice lights since we didn't have all the interstates. I also remember being in som convoys, but they never stretched for miles. I also don't remember having other drivers hide me from the cops, nor do I recall anyone else being helped in that manner. But, we did send out "Bear" reports on a frequent basis. And we also carried on real conversations with real people on the CB. When I first started you had to have a license to talk on a CB. You didn't hear all the trash that you can hear these days.......providing that you can even get someone to talk on the radio. It wasn't all rosey. Things are much simpler and easy in many ways today. I don't remember the job being quite so stressful back then as it is today.

 

You got carried away ever so slightly with your analogy, but you have a very valid point. I never paid attention to that until accidents and causes for accidents were part of my STATS102 course back in 2001. Statistically, road conditions and truck safety has improved by leaps and bounds over the years. Even though wrecks are seemingly ever increasing, it is the insurance companies that will tell you how things have improved due to draconian safety regulations.

But hey, I am never the cheery optimist I seem! Rumor has it that when the new wave of Mexican carriers in the U.S. hits the trucking industry with renewed vigor, the lawmen will have to sharpen their pencils once again to save the day. At the expense of the guy who has been in business in the U.S. for the past couple of decades. Always something to look forward to, isn't there?