The future for trucking is sad

just an fyi the gov creates problems so they can come back and offer a solution,the thing is the solution always ends up with the people having to give up their freedoms.

 

Or their lives.

 

No offense to anybody, but I was a driver for a few years in the mid-nineties, and I am a driver now, and I do my thing the way I'm supposed to and DOT pretty much leaves me alone. I hear a lot of drivers who talk about how all the regs in the industry are crushing them, and my advice is this; if you're a company driver, work for a company that keeps all your tags and service up to date and regulations, if you're an O/O, this isn't a "lifestyle," it's a business, and getting all of your paperwork in order is part of that business.

Just my 2 cents. Every once in a while DOT wants to check my logbook or do whatever, maybe once a year. I certainly don't run into a lot of these problems with "The Man" the way a lot of you seem to. Maybe I'm just lucky.

 

Maybe we're both "just" lucky.

Our trucks get tagged often, which has nothing to do with their safety record. When you put 50 (different) trucks or more a day past the same scale...they tend to get looked at.

I have yet to be looked at since February.

I don't even worry about it anymore. I make sure my equip is good, in so far as I can. And my paperwork is good.

 

I can see one way E-Log would screw with me.

I log by miles in many cases. Traffic, accidents, weather etc. mean it takes a LOT more time to go X distance.

I did have some screwy logs early on, but now when DOT looked at my book he found NOTHING wrong.

I can see where even more officers will be after our arses though!

 

Actually they can help you in some of these instances. And maximize your drive time, as much as it can.

#1. Many drivers with e-logs rarely get looked at too closely.

#2. The system can be set up to take you (manually most times) onto Line 4 while in heavy traffic. Heavy meaning stop and go, for an extended period of time. Speeds no greater than 15 mph. This works great around dock areas also. No driving time subtracted, and all miles accounted for.

#3. Your print out will/can reflect actual driving time...to the minute. The system will not simply shut you down because you had 3 or 4 stop and go events within the same hour that were logged at 15 minutes each.

Expanding on this further. The 15 minute segment will be utilized for record keeping. But it will be rounded up or down at the end of the day, not during the day as each event occurs.

#4. It will force your dispatcher/load planner to get their heads out of their ###, and do their job right.

You can get 600 plus miles a day, legally. It's just a matter of really doing what we always tell the new guys we do....keep that left door shut.

 

I hate to say this, but as long as there are those of us willing to fudge the book the rates will never change. If these 'E' logs come in and it all of a sudden takes an extra day or two to move a load then we could justify billing for wait time, just ask the shipper if he would mind working all day for free

 

Unfortunately, I don't think an increase in rates via e-logs will be passed on to the driver at all... In fact, the drivers wages will DECREASE.

Let me explain:

A route currently done by 2 trucks with a little fudging(when things go wrong) currently makes 2 drivers a decent living... Albeit the drivers bust their butts

Then, e-logs...

Now neither driver can consistently pull off their current routes... So, these routes are broken up and a third truck and driver are added to cover the routes.

Any increase in rates will be taken up in the cost of having another truck and driver on the 2(now 3) routes... and the original 2 drivers will actually make less than before... due to less work on their 'new' route.

 

I rarely have any problems with the DOT. As others have mentioned, I try to make sure everything is working and my equipment looks good. I doubt that e-logs will make drivers any more money. For one thing it will cost a lot of money to put in the extra equipment. If everyone did their jobs the way that they are supposed to we might not be as regulated as we are with more coming down the pike.

 

Nope, we MUST realize that the regulations have 'Nothing' to do with how we do our jobs.

The regulations are a means of control and revenue... Of course, the powers that be, want us to all THINK the regulations are in place for safety and our protection.