Honest logs

lol yeah gotta give people the benefit of the doubt on the internet.

in walstib's defense, there was a bit of culture shock when I began driving. Trucking never really interested me or crossed my mind until I was about to have a kid and someone suggested I try driving to support a family. I never read these forums or really gave it much thought, just kind of jumped in.

My point, walstib, is that there is an ungodly amount of information here if you want it. A lot of these people have been driving longer than I've been alive, so they might know what they're talking about. All I can advise is to leave the 4 wheeler mentality at the door. Most of us are just trying to do(and keep) our jobs.

You can start out with the best intentions, and you may even keep it that way, but the time will come when it will be convenient to fudge a bit here or there. From there you may find yourself on the slippery slope of finding convenient falsifications everywhere. I don't anymore, but I did. In the end, all you can do is use your best judgement.

 

My previous post wasn't directed at you.

 

If you don't go to work for a company that uses ELOGS you will lie.. period end of story.. I was one of those I am going to run legal blah blah blah.. Until 1 Saturday morning I was in little rock with 70 hours in for the week and 300 miles from my house.. I went to the house and redrew the last 3 days... I learned then and there that legal was the "right" thing to do but you do what you have to do to get where you need to be.

Now these companies will say John run legal.. Joe don't speed... Then they will turn around and ask can you make it from Mesquite Tx to Buckeye Az by tomorrow morning. They know legally you can't but they give you the load anyway and guess what.. 6 am tomorrow morning they are calling if they pull you up and you are in El Paso. Legal is only as good as the person dispatching you everything will fall back on you. I made more money too once they realized I was one of the boys that would do what they wanted and I don't mean like 20 bucks a day it was more like 15,000 to 25,000 a year.... but alas I am a o/o for greatwide and we have Elogs now so it is a mute point for me.

 

I don't mean to sound like an ### but you are so ignorant (and I don't mean that as a cut down just the truth) about the industry that you can get yourself in alot of trouble really fast.. While you are right that you can say no try that and see how that works out for you. I can tell you what will happen. The dispatcher will say ok we are sending a driver out after that load so just go to the truckstop and wait on him. Then the next morning they are going to start abusing you.. You will become a city driver and load trailers for others to run. In other words they will starve you out.. You can say what you want but this is the nature of the beast..

Btw that 3 hours you talk about being $72 you are wrong once again... That 3 hours is the difference in you getting a load tomorrow or making your appointment on time. lets run this out all the way. You leave Chicago and drive east 1/2 hour drive. You pick up in Gary Indiana at 3 pm Mon drop and hook you have 1 1/2 days to get to Denver that is 1020 miles you have that is 18 hour drive at 57 miles per hour average which is hard to average btw. Now you get on the road rolling fueled up and ready to go . Now Omaha is halfway but you need to make Grand Island to get to Denver to pick up your next load on time. Chicago traffic is well Chicago traffic 3.5 hours in you make it to the other side of town now you are stressed and already worn out and tired. act 1

Now you start to roll good.. but you only have 7.5 hours driving but wait now you can only drive 435 miles at 58 mph. I know you say who the heck drives that slow you will. Now you can only make Avcoa Ia. That is 200 miles short of your goal for the day.. Big deal who cares I can still make Denver, it is only 600 miles give or take.. Its 0230 and you start your 10 hour break. 1230 rolls around and you have eaten brunch and go top off while you are stopped and hit the road.. You have a good day and get to denver in 10 hours but dispatch had to give that load away you were 3 hours late to get there.. now you are in a dead area and the company tells you hey call me in the morning we will see what pops up.. You get your layover pay though you are good $25 is $25. The next morning they tell you to call back after lunch. You do.. No load.. Finally at 5 oclock they say hey we got you a hot load man.. Get to the airport and pick up this load of freight it has to be in KC in 11 hours 600 miles.. GREAT.. You start your log and get to DIA the load isn't ready. going to be an hour. Finally drop hook and get rolling.. You have plenty of time to make it but you have been up all day long dealing with dispatch, you are one tired SOB, but you have the hours to make it.. Tell that dispatcher no I can't make it.. even though BY LAW if you are fatigued and driving you are in violation. You will run that load or not have a job in the near future.. this industry is very very unforgiving..
That 3 hours just cost you 3 plus the 10 you were sitting waiting on dispatch to come up with that load that he was setting on all day waiting to see if the other driver was going to make it on time. so that is 13 hours you just wasted or 754 miles or 301$ at 40 cpm or $15000 a year if it happens every week and it will . but you are a greenhorn.. you will learn the picture you paint isn't the one you started out trying to do.

That book I just wrote happened to a friend of mine not to long ago. What they tell you in school isn't reality this is not a 9 to 5 job no matter how hard you try to make it one.. Best of luck

 

15 minutes is blatantly disregarding the law my friend.. and I AGREE I said I started out 15 years ago like you.. legal legal legal.. Now I run 100% legal with elogs.. but for the last 14 years up until this year i ran alot of loads I shouldn't have.. I think the problem with you is the way you are lecturing people.. 15 minutes of lying is no different than 15 hours to that cop.. He will nail you for it.. 15 minutes is the difference in 64 mph avg and 80 mph. Skip that break... get stopped for a light he gets his little calculator out you have a speeding ticket.. a lie is a lie is a lie no matter how big or small..

Do me a favor I check these forums often.. Get out of school and start a forum thread post a link here and keep us informed as much as you can. and be honest with yourself and let us know how the industry changes you. The hos laws are very demanding and will force you to drive tired.

Like I said earlier you are very very green.. dry out a bit and let us know how you are doing.. Best of luck to you and I hope you run legal.. but 15 minutes or 15 hours its still lying.
Btw you said we are the problem the old timers most accidents happen by people with less than 6 months on the road statics say that.. Last thing I will say I have been out here for a little less than 15 years.. and have 2.5 million save miles avg 180,000 a year have never had a log violation. I hope that my lack of professionalism will rub off on you and you can say in 15 years you have 2 million save miles.

 

Btw you just lost our layover pay they got you loaded in 24 hours

 

>>>>>Do me a favor I check these forums often.. Get out of school and start a forum thread post a link here and keep us informed as much as you can. and be honest with yourself and let us know how the industry changes you.

I plan on it and we'll see how it goes...I'm also man enough to admit when I'm wrong...If it becomes absolutely impossible to run as I plan, and others have shared with me that say they run 100% legal, I'll reevaluate my opinion...The couple of companies I'm looking at use Elogs, will I have access to those so I can print and post them, if necessary?

 

in this day and age go with the elog companies everyone will be on them soon enough anyway besides.. if you say you don't have the time they can't question the computer.. they can always look at that while they can't see your log book... best of luck and remember the left door policy.. you only make money if you are in that drivers seat with the left door closed ..
Best of luck and don't let all us Debbie Downers get you down.. I was alot like you 15 years ago

 

With elogs, are we still responsible for maintaining a paper log?...Suppose they see we can't make the run but tell us we can as we have the time left(lie to us), if we get pulled over, will we be held responsible for not "knowing" we didn't?