Why CSA 2010 and E-Logs are a good thing.

Meltom have u ever driven a truck or do u work safety just curious

 

Just safety, I drove a straight truck for awhile but never had to deal with logs or any of that crap.

 

Then maybe you dont understand from us O/O standpoint. I can understand from your point of view as a safety person but as a trucker money is not being made unless the wheels turn. Weather it be milage or percentage if your sitting your not making money. When im tired im tired and dont press it but I can and have drove 16 or more hours I wont lie. But I have a reputation of getting my loads there either ahead of time or in time and reload that same day unless I deem differently. I have run hot before and made bonus money to get it there. I wont lie and say I dont keep a couple of funny books but thats the way I run and thats what im use to doing. I cant sleep 10 straight hours im good on 5 hrs and ready to roll. Do I catch a quick hour nap at times yeah I do. Do I drive the speed limit that all depends on traffic and weather. If I had to run an elog system I might as well sell my KW and go work for a company but I would suck because I honestly cant play by company rules. I dont do drugs to stay awake ive passed all bac and drug test and passed dot audit. My SEA scores are above the national average and csa points at zero. I like alot of other owner operator compete against the undercutting back stabbing bottom feeders who cut rates so low its stupid. You seem like a good guy and your just following company regs but if u were an O/O u might see a different light. Most O/O are the safest drivers out there and aware of what goes on. Come out with me sometime for a week and ill show u what its like outlaw style .

 

The two reasons given for forcing elog's are "safety" and "a level playing field." Since there is no evidence that elogs make roads safer that argument goes out the window. Business is competitive. Until the elog issue came up, companies competed the best way they could and those who did the best job prospered and grew. Those who could not compete, went out of business. So, that argument also goes away. Since both arguments have been debunked, the reason for their existence should mean that the issue will go away.

 

I'm just curious about something. Seems like I see alot more of the "Electronic Log" signed trucks crashed out on the road than the so called "outlaw" owner op trucks. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think so.

Its a race to the lowest common denominator. Make all rules for the worst and weakest. Those poor old ATA members just can't compete with the outlaws. But the ATA also doesn't want Big Brother to mandate that shippers and receivers pay detention. This whole EOBR deal is such a sham. I can't believe so many people think it's the second coming of SAFETY (with all caps). I see these so called SAFE, EOBR trucks speed through small towns every week because the drivers have to make a delivery appointment or are going to run out of hours before their fuel stop etc. Give me a break.

 

that's probably true, wonder why that is? Do you think it might have anything to do with the large companies make up like 75% of all trucks on the road?

I probably would learn a lot from that. I have some ideas on how things work, but it's hard to truly know what something is like without first hand experience.

 

Actually, if you look at the statistics, something like 90% of the freight hauled in this country are by carriers with 50 or fewer trucks. When you have thousands of trucks, it just seems like the large companies are hauling most of the freight. Without small carriers this country would come to a halt. The large carriers could not haul all the freight. That is why most of them have set up their own brokerages so that they can still get a piece of the freight that they can't haul themselves.

 

Maybe there 120% driver turn over rate(or higher) has something to do with it.

 

I'll concede to that point, I was counting on you guys just rolling with the percentages. I haven't the slightest idea and don't want to look at statistics.