The day of the outlaw

Teamsters are the ones who invited the guv'mint in, so yes, I have serious issue with the organization. I wouldn't pee on one of the leadership if he or she was on fire.

 

For some perspective, remember that in the late 19th century there were shooting wars fought in the US over whether or not fences should be allowed on the Great Plains. The old hands were absolutely adamant that if they were allowed, the economy would crash, the Western lifestyle would come to an end, etc. etc.

The result? Things changed, but life went on. People born a generation later couldn't even understand what all the fuss had been about.

Technology has always been with us, and always will be.

 

Injun, please don't take this the wrong way, cuz I really agree most of the time with what you post.

However, driving tired and at 70 mph for 11 straight hours, couldn't have always been safe, could it? I know that I have drove dead tired before too, sometimes you just catch those runs where it really messes up your sleep cycle and a ten hour break in the middle of the day, when you have to drive all that night to make an appt, doesn't really refresh you. But what if everybody was on elogs, don't you think that the industry would have to change? That pickups and delivery's would have to be scheduled better by planners in order for their drivers to move it?

That wages and freight rates would have to go up because if everyone is forced to run legal, (HOS and Speed) there will be a shortage of trucks able to move all the freight in a timely manner?

I have another thought on E-Logs and EOBRs. Insurance companies aren't going to force anyone or any company to use them. But they will be able to offer lower rates to the safe and compliant O/O's and companies that do use them. If it is a significant enough savings to a company to install them, I think that they will, because their shareholders are going to demand that they be more profitable.

I for one would have loved to have been driving in the days of the outlaws, but I personally do not value the dollar over my freedom.

Just the thought of having to spend time in the graybar hotel; away from my wife and four children, because some drunk ran into me and killed themselves, while I had "fudged or pencil whipped my coloring book" or was running 10 mph over the speed limit, and the drunk was the daughter of the local District Attorney, makes me try and run legal and compliant at all times.

It is not because I don't know how to stand up to dispatchers, or any of that other nonsense.

 

That is true, but that was a good 20 or 30 years after they started when the government wasn't the enemy to the working man, like it is now. But in the beginning, I think they did some good.

 

Shippers and receivers don't give a rat's fanny less about our Circadian schedule. All they care about is getting their stuff where they want it when they want it there. Like it or not, we are in a service industry. E-logs will put mostly small mom n pop companies out of business if they are mandated across the board because they do not have the fleet numbers to support transfer calls. This is what I found myself doing way more on E-logs than paper.

My point is, I was forced out of my Circadian clock on E-logs, while on paper, I could move the schedule around with a little more flexibility. If E-logs are going to be mandated, then give us back the choice of when and where to take our rest periods. In other words, give me 11 hours of drive time per 24 hours, but let me decide for myself when, during the day, I will accomplish the driving. Additionally, right now there is no limit to the number of hours we are allowed to be on duty. If we need to write rules and make laws, then limit on duty/driving time to a total of 14 per 24 hours, with only 11 hours of driving total allowed.

E-logs combined with the way the rules are written right now has the unintended side effect of forcing me to drive tired at 0300, when I am normally comatose. I am so happy I no longer have E-logs on my truck. And I am 95% legal. I say 95% because there have been a couple of times I went over when my day should have stopped at 1500, but I wanted to be asleep at 0300, wake up truly rested and move the rest of the way. Paper allows me to do this on occasion. When the log is turned in, it is legal, for all intents and purposes, I am actually rested and ready to go and the load got where it was supposed to be on time.

You know as well as I do that trip planning isn't always the answer...especially when you're talking about a 700 mile load that is scheduled tight. So you sleep when it is natural for you to sleep and drive when it is natural for you to be driving. My time may not be the same as yours. I want to stay as close as I can to my natural clock. For my safety as well as that of others around me. E-logs did not allow me to do that. Therefore, I found myself running opposite my natural clock a very significant amount of the time. This is what is not safe.

 

Businesses are never going to change the way they do business just to suit some truck driver's schedule! If you or your company wont haul it when, where, how, AND AT THE PRICE THEY ARE WILLING TO PAY, then there are dozens of other companies /drivers that will! (Even if they happen to speak SPANISH!!! )

Just look at the last 50 years of trucking and it is obvious that trucking always takes it up the poop chute every time! Rates have not come up significantly in? 20-30 years!!!
Now take a look at how much it used to cost to buy, maintain, and sustain a truck 20-30 years ago and compare that to today's costs.

Are there any O/P's that would be willing to share that info with us? Might be a good new thread!

 

That is where it's all headed, of course.

No company wants to be an early adopter, however, because of the earnings hit (that's why Werner had to be paid to test-fly the first paperless log system a decade ago.)

As more companies climb aboard, effectively leveling the playing field, resistance will decline. It's like every horse in a race being required to carry a 20 pound lead brick. It's stupid, but if all must do it, competitive advantage must be found elsewhere.

The good news is the more complicated trucking becomes, the fewer drivers there will be who qualify, resulting in pay and working condition improvements for them. (or at least a slower erosion in those things, if the economy in general tanks.)

 

Sounds good in theory. In practice, I see a future of some large companies and very few independents. I, for one, will not go down without a fight. Swift passed its CSA2010 inspection, so no E-logs in the foreseeable future.

 

Unfortunately true. Economy of scale being why. (The same reason Wal-Mart is killing mom-and-pop stores, and Pilot/J is taking over the truckstop market.)

Again, you Free-Market-Capitalism-Is-The-Holy-Grail guys keep overlooking this sort of thing. You can't have it both ways.

 

No, I think that is how it is right now, to many crappy companies with broke down equipment with crappy drivers that will work for wages of 10 - 20 years ago, and will haul cheap freight.
If a shipper needs to move their product at a certain day and time, they are going have to pay the market rate to do so. The companies that pay a professional wage to enough professional drivers who can deliver a load on time and intact, will be able to cover those loads, because they will have enough drivers to work any hour of every day.

Those companies that don't have enough trucks to cover loads around the clock wont survive; so yes Injun is right that it may hurt some mom and pop companies, but then again, if you offer better service than the mega carriers you should do well in the new days ahead.