Informed versus Ignorant on the ELD mandates

One of the big ones I see talking to other drivers... Do you know where the required documentation is for the ELD?
1. User's manual
2. Instruction sheet for data transfer
3. Instruction sheet for malfunctions.

All of these can be on the ELD, but the driver will need to know how to pull them up....

 

They also need to be able to answer questions and provide logs in the truck at all times.

 

What if we generally do not answer questions from cops? CDL, insurance, registration, BOL, and log should answer every question an officer might have. Start talking and misremember some tiny little insignificant detail and now you're lying to a cop and obstructing justice. Keep silent (which is your right) and let him build his own case if he thinks he's got one. Every defense attorney worth his fee will tell you NOT to talk to the police. For the record, I do not consent to searches, either. If you had PC or a warrant, you wouldn't be asking permission.

But as for the ELD paperwork, keep it in the permit book with your registration and insurance...that way it's all together to hand over.

 

Jesus! After reading all those rules I think I'd rather just sell crystal meth than drive a truck. So complicated!

Here's two thoughts that cropped up:

1.) Let's say you have a fairly common name (thankfully, I do not) and you work at a large fleet where there are more than one (two?) John Adams and/or Mike Smiths? Or, due to large turnover, there have been multiple people with the same first & last name.
You need a unique Username for each one. I wonder how long that will last before it becomes cumbersome DavidCohen45612?

Which brings us to,,,

2.) Companies are explicitly forbidden from using your SS# as your driver ID (passwords on the other hand,,,) I've had this happen at other companies and in college IIRC where they would pretty much use my SS# as a badge number. Stupid policy that should have been outlawed years ago.

I still don't see anything about who has to PAY for the ELD, our company went with an App based system and when I couldn't get solid answers about data use (which I'd end up paying for) or reimbursement for my phone (or if I still used a non-smart phone) I decided to buy a cheep tablet on sale.

I highly recommend doing this because an early version of RMN crashed my tablet and I had to reset the OS. If that had happened to my phone I'd have lost all my personal stuff. Also would you want to hand over your personal phone to the officer or a dedicated "work" tablet?

It's still questionable whether I should be reimbursed for the device or not but I'd recommend it as a good insurance investment.

 

I am talking about the carrier, not the driver.

The carrier is at fault for a lot of this crap, there are a lot of lazy and stupid people in management who don't do what is needed to be done for the protection and benefit of the driver.

The carrier has to ensure there is an instructions set in the truck and there are extra logs in the truck, the driver has to see that the carrier is doing their job which I am all for empowering the driver even more to be covered by law to say no more oftern.

 

I keep WiFi, mobile hotspot, mobile data, tablet visibility, NFC, and every other way to "connect" to the outside world turned off...except for the bluetooth needed to connect to the ELD plug...any time the tablet is in the truck and connected to the ELD. Location services is on, because that's required for the ELD to function.

I also pin the app so that if I have to hand over the tablet for inspection, the officer cannot do anything else outside of the ELD app without my approval. There is no reason at all for him to go snooping around anywhere else in the device.