E-log Poll

Hourly pay across the whole industry would solve most of its issues IMHO.

 

I ran into two old hats, one was a farmer. One guy talked about how he couldn't run from cali to jersey and back in a week on e-logs. It's the problem of people who live to work running the rates and not caring about a work life ballance. These people are happy to kill themselves working because it's what they enjoy, it's a hobby. If you want to do that, hope you're making enough to retire at 45, because otherwise you're screwing yourself.

 

No. People who want to run Jersey-Cal-Jersey in a week are NOT doing so because they "enjoy the work", or consider it a hobby. How can it be enjoyable under those conditions?

These people fall into 1 of 2 different categories -

1. They are payed just enough to survive and support their needs as long as they drive in excess of 65 MPH for 15-18 hours every day for 5 or 6 days straight, and if they do so, they may be entitled to "have a few days off" ... IF they run like that. Many of these truly are in the class of "indentured servants".
2. They are running on the dope smuggler mentality ... take your chances, do it for a year or two, put away enough to "retire" on, and quit.

either way, it's a dangerous way to live, for both them and every other motorist they come in proximity to every day. I don't think they enjoy working this way.

The carriers (employers and contract writers) have it down to a science where their pay rates need to be to keep the driver "well motivated" to run hard but not paying them so well that they can "relax too much" and keep the truck parked for too long. They pay only in the "sweet spot" that benefits the carrier more than the driver, but enough where drivers will still put in applications to consider their offer.

Then, add in the fact there are more than a few carriers who position themselves as "last resort" options for drivers. They pay crap and expect desperate drivers with questionable work history and accident records, and are always "looking the other way" at hire time. They can pay crap, and abuse them all they want by various other means because they know those drivers are at the end of their rope and have nowhere else to go [other than to another similar outfit].

 

I'm willing to bet most people are like me, they run on elogs, but not the elogs that are coming in December.
They run on EOBRs that can be fiddled with to a certain extent to make it so you can make 2500 miles per week in a truck governed at 60mph.
So, the question is, who has really ran true elogs and how many of them are going to realize they can't make money in this industry when the laws are rigidly enforced.
If you want to be Joe Blow over there "I don't drive illegal, if my company don't like it they can shove it"
Enjoy your 1600 miles per week barely making any money.

 

I got me just under 3500 miles last week on e-logs. Don't know what the issue is.

 

Why the condescension towards those running legal? (Joe blow) You know, those running illegal and wrecking are part of the reason for the BS regs and DOT up our rear ends in the first place I run on real e-logs but I'm hourly & local so e-logs work out great for me. I wouldn't run OTR as I refuse to work for free anymore, been there done that. And I do not run illegal and I make plenty of money.

I do agree that with insane loading and unloading wait times making money will be harder and harder to do IF they ever get a hard on about enforcement.

 

Sure you can always cherry pick a specific type of freight and customer that will work for.
I'm commenting on the vast majority of the industry, specifically reefer because of the asinine appointment times.

 

Well, I run OTR reefer and on eLogs, where frozen and dairy make up the bulk of our freight. Any 2 week period less then 6,000 miles I consider bad. But I usually run closer to 6,500 miles every 14 days. This is my preferred style of running but what I do have working in my favor is longer average hauls. But virtually 100% of everything we do is by strict appointment where on-time performance is critical. We do deal with the odd early AM appointments here and there but the point is, eLogs does not necessarily affect OTR reefer and mostly appointment operations, but they could be a problem for regional and/or multi-regional reefer where there are many more load and unloads in a given period due to shorter hauls.

But our office people are good at what they do. Their goal is to run the entire fleet as close to 95% HOS efficiency as possible and they do a great job assigning the right loads to the right trucks. I'm sure not every outfit can make this claim.

 

When is enough??
Really.......I thought Trump's policy of ANY New Law or Regulation was to abolish 2 existing ones?

People are Human beings....When are you guys (Including myself) Going to say "Enough's enough"?

Every other Frickin year its a New Law or Regulation WITHOUT anything being removed....Rates/Wages stay the same Yet another rule to try and stay compliant with........

Its too Stressful on the Body and in Life- Where did Common sense in making decisions go? Is there really Freedom in America? Think about it-Then answer.

You,me virtually everyone in life that works just wabnts to be left alone,do our Jobs and Go home to our families WITHOUT excessive Rules,Laws etc.......

Until we Speak up and say "Enough's Enough" The Bureaucracy Will Never Stop.