Paper logs vs. electronic logs

Lol the difference is that now we can't be creative with our log books. Also before if I wasn't tired I could start a bit earlier etc. Or when u get 20 minutes away from the house and run out of hours. Now with e logs it's easier, less stress from being tempted to run illegal etc.

 

I started them a month ago and it's had no effect on me whatsoever. Picking up a preloaded tank on Monday, delivering on Wednesday, and returning home Thursday night. I know for a fact though, my old job running a dry van, it would have cost me money. I spent 8 hours a week withering away my time at customers. On paper that was easily overlooked. Not to mention the wait for a load after delivering would dwindle away at the 14 really fast.

My my old company talked about this for years and started using elogs last year. They let several us remain on paper. They made no preparations whatsoever and as a result the drivers PAID for elogs. Ditching paper was inevitable so I found a new job where elogs and most importantly, anybody else, have no effect whatsoever on my earnings. So yes, I LOVE elogs!

 

E-LOGS. depends on what your doing. dedicated, no difference. regional, not much. my problem with them is i dont like to be forced to drive when i dont wont to. I never drove tired more then i did with e-logs

 

E-logs aren't FORCING you to drive. You can put yourself off duty whenever you want to and not have it affect your 70 or your 14. If you run tired, then it's your own fault, not the logs.


@ the original poster... It's all about time management. If you can't do that properly, then your gonna run crazy hours.

 

On a technicality it is preventing him from getting a little rest period in. If I leave my yard at say 2 AM, run for 3 hours (have no time stamps) and come up on traffic that I know I'll sit in for lengths of 1+hour, I can pull off and lay down during that period till traffic lightens up. NOW... I take my old log, decide if I want to keep it, and if not, look here I just started my day at 4 AM (since I pulled off for 2 hours) and the ONLY piece that changed was my 14 hours. Bet you can't do that on an E-Log or whatever acronym they are called today (there are so many...). Not only did I sit out that traffic (so no stress), but I feel better.

NOW if E-Log were made OPTIONAL, no body would care because the owner/operator OR small companies (i.e. under 10 trucks? 15?) could still run with loose leaf and in the end, it's the DRIVERS tail, not the company, unless you own the company. Then I highly doubt you would leave any stones unturned now would you? In the end, we will all get our share of this government E-Log mandate. However if one sits out DOT week, bypasses every scale, and HOPEFULLY doesn't get audited, why would you have to rid yourself of loose leaf logging? Talk about being a true Outlaw

 

Traffic or other special situations not-with-standing. But GENERALLY speaking, if you run tired, it's on you, plain and simple.

If I was in traffic, I could do the same thing.... pull over and go off-duty or sleeper if I wanted to and wait it out. Just because it's an electronic log, doesn't mean you have something completely different. You still have the ability to say "Hey, I need a break now". E-LOGS are in place now to keep from fudging with or running 2 sets of paper logs. It also takes time away from doing paperwork at the end of a shift/down time; which leaves more time for prepping the next load or god forbid... Sleep

... E-logs are optional at this point in time. FMCSA wants to make them mandatory, but as you said O/O's or small companies don't have the money to update, which in my opinion is why they want to do it. To keep some "fly by night" operators from running illegally.

More here:
http://www.overdriveonline.com/fmcsa-proposes-e-logging-mandate/

 

There was a recent article out, I think from Overdrive Magazine but will try to verify, where there was a major study done regarding implementing E-logs and effect on driver income. The jist was that when a carrier starts implementing them, there is a drop off in miles and pay for the drivers. After about 6 months, it recovers, and in about a year, there is an up tick of driver income over what they were getting with paper logs. It takes everyone a while to get things organized from the way they were doing things, to where they can eventually better match loads to driver hours and schedule according to driver hours.

I never noticed a drop in income when I went to E-logs about 2.5 years ago. Stayed pretty consistent for me. I have done quite well especially the last 2 years. I guess it all has to do with how well the folks in the offices get their act together and use it for better freight planning and capacity management. And it also has a lot to do with the customers the carrier is dealing with.

Once one gets used to using them and knows how to be a little "creative" about things, e-logs are not the terrible thing that some make them out to be. Sure, it will require folks to better manage their time and book loads a little better. As with all things in life, the only constant in the universe is change. You either learn to use it to your advantage, or you get passed on by. And blanket e-log policies will bump up against special applications that will cause yet another modification to the HOS regulations, you can almost bet a month's pay on that. What a mess.

 

I think the key is that the companies learn to better utilize the driver with the restricted "time" that is available due to ELD and no "variables" to be created.

 

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The biggest problem being ignored by the proponents of ELD's is that drivers do NOT have an On/Off switch. The assertion that you should "manage your time better" just ignores the basic realities of this industry... A driver's time is, quite often, mismanaged by OTHER entities beyond his/her control, yet the driver is still expected/required to make appointments or be fined, fired, etc... furthermore, a driver just coming off a 10 sleep break (where he really DID sleep), goes to a shipper, and is told the load won't be ready for another 12 hours... Solution: just take ANOTHER 10 hour break and be ready to drive ! This is like telling the guy with an arterial wound to quit bleeding, it messes up the floor!

Quit ignoring reality... it just highlights your ignorance!