HOS changes and my perspective on EOBR's...

Yet you were brainwashed into E-logs which are supposed to make it easier but yet you get to the same place as I after I done delivered and onward to the next load. Which is easier now?

I will bet that there is more accidents involving E-log/EOBRs trucks than those running paper. Why? Well thats easy really. Paper guys are safer drivers than electronic since we don't have to push.

 

I notice a routine with all threads involving EOBRs vs Paper.

No matter what some E-logger jumps in preaching how good and almighty the E-log is and how safe and easy it makes drivers. They go so low as to jump on the paper loggers and say we deserve to end up sued or buried under the jail. You guys try to force the idea of switching over to even the playing field.

Why? Just leave the paper guys alone. It has already been proven over and over E-logs are NO safer for the drivers nor motoring public. Don't try to force me to use a calculator if I prefer to do my math in my head. Don't try to force me to log on your computer if I can do it cheaper and just the same on my paper. BAck off my ### and leave well enough alone already.

You guys cheat just the same as we. Drop the bull already. Log as you wish but don't keep trying to bully everyone to join your sad pitiful bandwagon.

 

Well people are going to do as the will regardless. I know when I was on Paper I was probably safer because I didn't want to get caught, and then have to go back and try to match up fuel stops etc. It would have been impossible. So yeah I'm sure the paper guys are more safer because they have to watch their P's and Q's alittle better and us e loggers normally don't get bothered at the scale. So it's just another day at the office. Just hope everyone drives as safe as they can no matter what book you use. You have a good night. I have to get up in a few hours. But all this time is logged in the sleeper and I was actually in the sleeper Have a good night and a Happy 4th. God bless

 

Maybe it was already answered but I don't have time to read all 14 pages. I need my beauty rest.

So lets say EOBR's become mandatory and mine breaks. I'm guessing I'm not allowed to use paper until I get the EOBR fixed? Would that be an OOS. Would I have to get a mobile mechanic to fix it on the spot?

 

No. By the regulations if your E-log goes down you are then supposed to fill out a paper log until the time comes that your E-log is live again. So even if you are on E-logs you must have a paper log book in your truck for the just in case moments.

 

IIRC.....A DOT officer at the coop can demand that the user of an EOBR produce a hard copy....Now it's my understanding some EOBRs have that capability and some don't...So what happens if the driver has an EOBR that doesn't.....Would they not be required to carry a log book?

 

Yeah , that's why carriers have been shut down when the FMCSA audits them after multiple fatality accidents and finds ongoing log falsification .
How many carriers running e-logs has that happened to ?

 

I will answer this to the best of my knowledge, however take it with a grain of salt because I have a gal in Safety that handles most of this.

I believe ALL EOBR device "have" the ability to be downloaded and printed, whether you are talking Big road app, Daily driver, Diesel boss, etc, they ARE EOBR's.

Now if you are running AOBR's like us, you do NOT have to have a means to print on demand, if needed an officer can request "hard copies" emailed to where he/she likes.

With that said, we do/will carry printers in the trucks, but mostly it is for the business/convenience end, not the safety end.

RickG is spot on, as I said, if you own your own truck, do as you wish, but in this sue happy CYA world that we live, I do feel better knowing that everything matches, and can be proven, and if that means that our drivers don't make that last drop on Tuesday night at 5:00 because they could not get parked in their time left, FINE!

Drop the #### thing Wednesday morning, at the end of the week it makes little or no difference. I also take solace if the fact that if confronted with a disgruntled driver, I can NEVER be accused of "FORCING" him/her to run illegal, again, I have worked hard and have a lot to lose in this CYA world.

We didn't go AOBR for any ONE reason, we did it for SEVERAL reasons, time, money, convenience, insurance cost, with lower CSA scores comes less hassle at the scale, a paper trail showing everything up front and out in the open.

Last but not least, it DID make the job of dispatch more efficient, at least for us, it did make the job of our safety admin better, as we no longer have to decipher hurried or erratic penmanship, we no longer have to sit and figure out toll and fuel tickets vs. time zones and was this person where they said they were.

Bottom line is, that with everything that is changing we would of had to add another person in our safety dept, by going AOBR's we cut down the work load on our S/A and were able to avoid adding someone else to payroll, besides, I sleep better at night.

 

Here is a fairly long but interesting article about fleets with medium duty trucks showing improvements in safety and efficiency with EOBR's .

http://www.lmtruck.com/articles/lmtbase.aspx?storyid=2379&t=Commercial-Fleets-Embracing-Technology

 

Great Points.I agree with you from a standpoint of an Owner.Yes,you can sleep better at night.E-LOGS are all about what Rick mentioned and yourself...But here is the BIG QUESTION...

What has E-LOGS done to the ''drivers'' pay,benifits,hometime etc etc etc....I have seen very little that has been done to help a ''driver'' sleep better at night.I have seen drivers become stressed,in a hurry,sleep patterns confused,loss of miles and money and the such.

I have yet to hear any E-LOGGER say this...''My company is now on E-LOGS and i have gotton a BIG RAISE'' in all i do...So IMO the drivers are ''NOT'' sleeping better at night and the companies are sleeping better at night...