Does your company have an eLog policy?

I third that. I was actually thinking a little stiffer. But this is more even tempered.

Breaking company policy doesn't deserve too many chances if the company is reasonable. And in all honesty, reasonable doesn't play into the facts if you choose to work there.

 

I figured the first warning as this is obviously a shift for the company and it's drivers. We still have guy's here not getting the message.

Our owner stood up and told every driver hear get compliant or I will start cutting your pay, and or firing you! When a driver said "Well yeah but dispatch...." Tommy stopped him and asked for the name of who told him they were signing the checks that week. After some.hem hawing the driver hushed up.

I talked with that driver a week later and he said "Well they know I can't make this load but they sent it so they are telling me to run illegal" .

When I asked him if he wanted Tommy's number he got all pissy and stomped off.He was fired the next month when the ream of his log violation report(not only was he running hot"he couldn't hide it well) was noticed.




Now I tell that with a purpose. The stages are to let people that are willing to change and work with the company get the message, while having finality for those that will not fairly rapidly. In addition some may truly have honest violations in their confusion of switching logs. This will give them a chance to recover from them.



But be prepared if you were to institute something along these lines. There will be someone with some senority going to push back. You are going to have to be consistent(with owners backing) in dealing with them. And if it comes to it cut bait and fire them.

 

Maybe because its a new thing start with an official warning for the first offense, then eather suspension or firing for the second and or third. i know there getting stricter with all the regs and the csa especially. you might want to look into what they do to the company if they catch a driver falsifying his logs, that should help point you in the right direction.

 

Sounds to me like management needs to deciide if your trying to get compliant or look compliant.

If it is just to look compliant your spinning you wheels needlessly. I agree it is bad to use them as a punishment, but that is what we are doing as well. Well sort of. The worst 10% are going on elogs first then 10% a month until the whole fleet is.Both because of money for equipment, and we are a small company and we keep our shop guy's maxed out just keeping up with usual stuff. I disliked the worst being first because of it's punitive tone right up until we lost a huge customer.


So the question is does your company just want to talk the talk, or are they gonna walk it? And planners, fleet managers, CS all need to be on board. It does no good to have a split message and mission. If suddenly that big customer just has to have that favor you can not provide without pushing a driver to run illegal they have to abide the program, not say well it's only this one load.

 

i'm pretty sure the elog can be set up different ways, i hear people talkin about it dropping you on line 3 once you hit a certine mph, and others say it's once the gps notice the truck moves, for me it's 7/10ths of the mile, and there's no way to cheat it. so much for corrective action, it's a "hey, we noticed you went over your hours, what happened" kind of chat with your DM, then it's the same chat, plus a warning from safety, then three days off.. i had to give a driver a ride back to the ATL Term a few days ago that was coming off of his 3 days forced vacation and he told me all about it.

 

Our e-logs will keep you on whatever line you pre-selected as long as you keep your speed under 5mph.

Also, if the line change is under 5 minutes in duration the e-log doesn't record it.

 

You want no trouble on your e-logs?

1. Pay the drivers a small bonus for "staying legal" at the end of the month. Reward good behavior instead of "punishing". Works a whole lot better and lessens the "They're out to get me" attitudes.

2. Get on dispatch HARD about sending loads out without the driver having the hours. They can access the e-log file and know exactly how much he's got left. There is no excuse for pushing a load on a driver who does not have enough hours for safe delivery. Back your drivers up instead of just being another "office a-hole" who regards drivers as a "disposable nuisance".

 

Your bonus is keeping your job.

Dispatchers in general are miss named as load planners do the assignments, and neither one has the time to keep track of whom has what a day ahead. If your companies worth a darn they are at least that far ahead. Now yes safety and ownership need to back a driver that can not make the load legally, and dispatch and planner's need constant communication when your PTA changes from load unload waits, equipment failure, road conditions, ............

It can work without the friction between driver and dispatch. You both want to accomplish the same goals. This change need not create friction so long as everything is understood by all parts of the company.