Few Questions

After 55 years of paper logs, I am trying to learn ILDs. The company I drive for just installed them and said to us, "watch a little of You Tube and you can figure everything else out. Well, I guess I have figured some things out, other things I have not done very good at. Oh, we are with "Keep Trucking".

When I go on the yard and start my truck, log into the ELD, does my 14 hr clock start right then? If I move the truck, is that recorded. I moved the truck the other day and it is showing an "unidentified event". Can I wait until I hook up and make sure everything is fine before "logging in"? If I log in and then find something wrong with tractor or trailer, then wait on a mechanic to show up several hours late, the 14 hr. clock would get me before getting back in. Say, I need fuel, truck stop about 5 miles down the road, can I bobtail down and fuel and then come back to start logging?

These are just a few questions that I can think of at this time, but I would appreciate some input.

 

Which device do you have? And as far as doing things in the yard and bobtailing, that will depend on how the company set up your unit. When I start my truck in the morning, the unit comes on and stays in the sleeper berth. Nothing happens until I get over 15 mph, it keeps me in the sleeper, and thank God for that. One trick I did learn, was every time you stop for any period of time, I go directly to the sleeper. When it hits 30 mins, it bumps that stupid milk and cookie break forward 8 hours. That is about the only good thing I can say about the Omnitracs unit I have.

 

In the thirty years I’ve been around trucking I see one thing hasn’t changed. Companies will invest in equipment but refuse to invest in training.

 

We are using "Keep Trucking". Anything over 5 mph, it puts me on driving. But the other morning, I was real careful and hooked up before I even logged in, but then it is showing a "unidentified event". I do not understand

 

I would guess the event was you hitting the kingpin... Most of these units have a shock sensor on them. I am not familiar with your particular unit, but I know mine will record certain events if there is any bumps or force applied to the truck. I am sure there is a sensitivity setting that can be adjusted so that it does not record an event when hooking to the trailer.

 

I read several months ago with the new standards now in effect:
Even though you stayed under five mph, the gps still detected that the truck is now in a different location and you didn’t tell it before hand that you were on duty, yard move or personal conveyance. But it still has registered the move, so either you moved it or a mechanic moved it. So either you tried to cheat or you forgot to log out and the mechanic did it. Either way your now screwed. Blame the company for their great training program.
One fellow’s comments was that, once you did the under 5 mph move to hook the trailer, if you shut off the truck. Wait a minute or two and restart. It resets location data and forgets the minor move, as long as you didn’t also exceed how ever far of a distance limit is in the eld. Some of the old ones were three miles, the new ones are 100 feet.

 

Tried to cheat. Trucking is now a game show.

 

In my opinion, there is big difference in "cheating" and being "conservative". I have always prided myself in being "half way legal" and never being late for an appointment. I always show up an hour or two before I need to. But it has dawned on me that all this is flying out the window now. Show up right on the minute, rush, rush and rush more. Never time to relax, always looking at the clock. Think it is about time to "hang it up". I started in 1963 and probably went for 25 or 30 years and my log book was never looked at or asked for. Am I a better or safer driver now since this ELD is my "master".

 

Spot on observation. I used to arrive early, now I cannot afford to waste time, I wait until the last minute and sprint. And yes, I find myself speeding when I would normally be cruising under the posted speed limit of 65, now it is 69 and go go go! I am not happy.

And yes, safety is essentially out the window.

 

A very good post.

Time goes by tick tick tick when you are not worried about it.

But when you are stressed, you lose hours like instantly worrying about time itself. Rather than worrying about the trucking.

Your post is outstanding. To me the ELD is a master because you cannot move a inch without a computer alarm or some stupid problem which will accumulate. As they are already. The HOS is not the issue here.

I repeat, the HOS is not the issue. The computer in the truck telling the world you are in violation of something is similar to Judge Dredd when you are using a bad profane word and are fined credits publicly in the movie. It's stupid. Takes away the very freedoms we need to essentially do what we do.

I understand the shippers and recievers are beginning to scream bloody murder. That's ok too by me. They should have screamed 40 years ago when that truck got there when it got there late sometimes. (And they did...)

In the past you could tear a paper log. Now this ELD threatens to tear this Industry from the bottom to the top. Straight through and up. A big part of me is very happy Im out of it as the extent of this madness is becoming apparent.

Moral of the story, these laws are sometimes written by a people who never touched a truck ever. And they kept mucking about with it until they royally screwed it up. And what did the Industry do? Nothing. But meekly purchase more computers to comply. HA.....