E-LOGS

Nice wasted tirade.

EOBR's document the exact same information as a log book should.

You can avoid every bit of this by simply not following FMCSR's. Of course you will have to earn a living far from any PUBLIC HIGHWAY since you must abide the laws set forth on roads you do not wholly own.

Asking to conduct your business on public roads means you agree to abide the laws set forth by the governing body appointed by the public.

EOBR's will be used as a compliance tool to enforce existing regulations. Nothing more, nothing less.

All the rest is hyperbole and irrational.

But nice try

By the way La Hood is not the sole person responsible for enacting any rule. He does as directed. No I do not like the guy, but let's deal in facts and not fantasy when slinging useless and baseless allegations.

 

There are way too many selfish, brainwashed people that don't care about the government taking away our rights.

That covers a lot of subjects and is aimed at nobody in particular. If you feel the need to argue, then I must have stepped on your toes.

 

Those who want these EOBR's to be mandatory have NEVER produced any evidence to support their claim that they will make our roads safer. Safety is their excuse for demanding that all owners put in these recorders, yet they fail to produce ANY proof that it will make a difference. When you want to force an entire industry to spend billions of dollars for safety, you should be willing to produce the proof. Where is it??!! It doesn't exist. If it were true then it would have already been produced. US Xpress, JB Hunt and the other mega carriers who are pushing the bill which would require these in all trucks have yet to produce any evidence that the road will be made safer by their use or that it will make everyone play on a level playing field. Those are the two reasons they give for wanting this bill to pass. Just because someone has a EOBR in their truck doesn't necessarily mean that they are running compliant or driving in a safe manner. All the EOBR does is record when the truck is moving. It cannot force the driver to listen to the EOBR. A driver can still run over hours. The truck won't shut off if he runs over his hours. It could provide evidence of his non compliance to the hos, but it won't make him drive safer. There are some that might run more compliant with the hos, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are driving any safer than the guy who runs two log books.

I feel about EOBR's the same as I do about traffic camera's. I don't speed. In fact, when my wife is with me she often will tell me to speed up that I am going too slow. I often can be found driving at or below the posted speed limit whether in one of my trucks or in my personal vehicle. I keep my logs pretty current. But, I don't want to be watched every minute of the day. I don't want the government to track my every move. And I certainly DON'T want to pay the government to watch me. To force me to purchase an EOBR is the equivalent to paying the government to watch me. It isn't about me doing something that is illegal. It is about personal freedom and choice. If I choose to put in an EOBR, then that is my choice. When the government forces me to put in an EOBR at my expense, then it is NOT my choice. I can do a paper log and track the same information that a EOBR will supply. There are ways in which the DOT can check my logs to see if I am running compliant. It should be up to the government to PROVE that I have broken the law. Apparently, there are those who feel that having the government in the truck with them is OK.

It is not about running legal. It is about personal freedom. It is about the government getting too much into my business. I don't understand why some are so willing to throw away their freedom because some bureaucrat says that our roads will be safer if we only put in EOBR's. It simply isn't true. It is just one more freedom that we are losing.

 

I finally got a taste of E-logs during the past few months. The equipment is amazing and annoying at the same time. No more cheating, cant pull a loose-leaf page out and replace it. It treats you like a 12 yr old. It actually yells at you (Qualcom system) when you violate 11 or 14 hr rules, then it tattles on you. I dont like it because it pressures you to work 11 hours straight or you dont get anything done. And if you are working for a company that has you sitting at places waiting very much, its a paycheck killer if they dont pay detention pay (Butler Transport is a good example of this BS). If the industry is going to make us run like this, they are going to have to boost wages...

 

Your freedom is perfectly intact.

There are restrictions for using public roads for profitable use.


We the public require drug testing. We have no proof drugs would cause more accidents, and no we will not conduct an experiment to prove it.

We require specific equipment (brakes, fire extinguishers, triangles, spec'd tires, adequate signage, records of duty status......), and proof of compliance with these requirements( supporting documents, Proof of Insurance, records of drug testing, maintenance records............) EOBR's are simply the next extension of these.

Same as CSA2010(2011?) EOBR's are simply an extension of improved technology. Newer more expensive equipment has and will be required to continue operation of a business on a public roadway.

 

To me it isn't about being able to cheat. You can cheat on the EOBR's. It is about the government forcing me to buy something so that they can more easily do their job. It is about a handful of major carriers putting a bill together to force their competition to spend money. If they claim that EOBR's will improve safety, then they should be willing to pay for the study which proves their allegation. I merely want them to PROVE their allegation. They won't do it. They can't. This is merely speculation.

Whether someone has an EOBR in their truck will not deter drivers from driving while tired. In fact, it could encourage some to drive while tired when they might otherwise take a nap or break. Drivers will do what they must whether they log with paper, EOBR or not at all. No electronic device will tell the government when the driver is too tired to do his job. No electronic device will tell the government whether the driver has slept or gotten sufficient sleep to drive. All the EOBR will do is tell the government if it has recorded the hours the truck has moved.

As long as you have rules you will have those who attempt to break them. Having reflective triangles in the truck is probably a good idea, but I don't know if it actually makes the roads safer. It is still different than forcing someone to spend several thousand dollars on an electronic device which has never proven it's worth. It is no different than forcing people to buy health insurance or go to jail.

 

It is rare for me to run out of hours. A little planning can avoid much of running over. Someone can be tired and still be running legally. Just because your hos are electronically recorded doesn't mean that you are not driving tired. It only tells whether you are driving legally. You assume that having elogs will make roads safer. There is nothing to substantiate that allegation. If someone wants me to spend several thousand dollars to improve highway safety, then I want them to prove to me why I need to spend the money. I want them to prove that I roads will be safer if I spend several thousand dollars for an EOBR plus a monthly fee.

 

Oh but it is far different. See buying health insurance or go to jail is totalitarian because it removes choice.

Where requiring Vehicle Insurance or HOS compliancenor EOBR's in a commercial vehicle leaves a choice. You can choose to abide the conditions of operating, or not. The choice is left to the individual where your example removes it.

Apples and Oranges.