For Those Who Went From Paper Logs to Electronic

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by Raiderfanatic, Jul 7, 2012.

  1. Mountain Hummingbird

    Mountain Hummingbird Medium Load Member

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    Oct 14, 2012
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    Well I really do not get what you mean that paper logs change anything on your 14 hour clock. 14 hours is 14 hours paper or elog. The law does not say you have 14 hours of service per 24 hour period, unless you use paper logs then we let you have more. Right now falsifying logs is one of the highest points against you according to the DOT. I have seen the computer program they use when they do a REAL audit. You wont win they will catch each and every falsification on the page.
     
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  3. T...Street

    T...Street Light Load Member

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    Aug 19, 2012
    randolph co. NC
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    MNdriver.....Now you are making good points about this argument ...but all of those things have been said long before You and I both were ever born. "E-logs and a 14 hour clock will create more bad situations for people to get into because it is human nature for one side (dispatchers) to not trust drivers to do a "decent days work".

    Drivers don't feel that dispatchers have a realistic outlook on what it is they deal with on a day to day basis.

    Shippers and receivers don't care what happens past their dock.

    Rule makers do only what the agencies/lobbyist tell them they want."

    On all of those points We are in 100% agreement...And those same points and arguments have plagued this industry from the beginning and will continue to do so as long as the industry exists. We are arguing the exact same points MNdriver just from different outlooks...I didn't try to fight the system...I did enough fighting in Viet Nam...I just tried to exist in it and make a living for my family and retire at an age that I could still enjoy what time God saw fit to give me. You it seems ( now please don't be offended I'm just making an observation ) are trying to fight the system, by allowing the system to control You. I know it can be very frustrating when you get held up here or blow a tire there but that is the nature of the beast. But like I said b/4 don't let the system control You, roll with the bad things and run with the good...If a dispatcher rags you out take a deep breath and say I'll try and do better..end of discussion, He thinks he is in control and when you hang up the phone go back to doing what you know is right...and safe.

    I'm going out on a limb here on an open forum and say I'm sorry if you feel I don't respect you...far from it, never said I didn't. But if you have more than the 8 years in then why say only 8...I like anyone else can only see the info that you choose to provide. I'm not however going to apologize for my tenure in the industry..I did put in the time and I'm very proud of my safety record as any driver that has achieved a safety record with no accidents should be, and I'm not alone either lots of drivers have done much, much more than me. I don't think that I can do no wrong and that I know all there is to know about driving a truck. I still learn something every time I get behind the wheel of anything I'm driving. We can move forward as friends who have different ways of looking at the same thing or we can just ignore each other, but I'm going to try and be a friend..not going to say that we will always agree but I will always give you what I feel is an honest opinion , based on my life experiences. That is the best any man can do.
     
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  4. MNdriver

    MNdriver Road Train Member

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    elogs do not let you have ANY leeway. You are done, you are done. Even if you are 10 minutes short of your destination. You might get by with the company letting you slip it into "line 5" for that 10 minutes and tag it as "safe haven." You are just admitting to DOT you fudged your day and didn't do it in the legal 14 hour day.


    Paper logs let you the driver control the day.

    You get held up at the scale 2-3 times in a day holding you up for 30 minutes, you might log that as 20 minutes and slip the other 10 minutes to driving time so you can reach your destination in 14 hours legally.


    Who's really legal then?


    As a driver with a flag on his elogs, you are stressing, "Is it going to come back and give me a log violation?" That creates anxiety, you get in a rush the next time it looks like it's going to happen and you rush to make up those 10 minutes.


    On paper, there's no way their "log book software" can show that you moved those 10 minutes. It might find gross errors like you showing you loaded on the 14th, when it was really the 15th. same with your fuel stops. But you can make those fudges a lot easier on paper and people don't like you to have some personal control and responsibility.
     
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  5. Mountain Hummingbird

    Mountain Hummingbird Medium Load Member

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    Oct 14, 2012
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    I drive 10 hours per day work for 11 hours, no more if the dispatcher does not like it hand me over to one that does. Safety dept and Ops manager are on my side. More than one dispatcher has had to walk the hall down to the managers office to get an attitude adjustment, they learn.
     
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  6. Mountain Hummingbird

    Mountain Hummingbird Medium Load Member

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    The thing is you then put yourself in that position by not pulling over at the last safe haven. Any Dot officer can do the math on how long it takes to get from one point to another including the time it takes to go though all the construction at the posted limits. Adjusting your times you are not fooling them. You are however falsifying your logs. Do it enough you lose your CDL.
     
  7. MNdriver

    MNdriver Road Train Member

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    I left in 97 because of the pressures to run 900-1000 mile days.

    I shut down for a break every 2-3 hours and a shipper / receiver will catch hell from me if there are delays. Let me be productive. Don't trap me on a dock.

    Just because your Co-Worker failed to show up is not my issue. Brokers will get hell from me too for long.delays starting at 1 1/2 hours.

    I don't and won't run illegal logs any more.

    But don't stock an elog on my truck either to control what I do when the people that are screwing with my day are not held accountable for their actions.
     
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  8. T...Street

    T...Street Light Load Member

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    Aug 19, 2012
    randolph co. NC
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    Man that temper of yours is gonna be your undoing someday. One day that shipper/receiver/broker is gonna call your bluff and you're going to be in a lot of deep trouble. You can't go thru this world bullying everybody. You need to sit back and relax......
     
  9. MNdriver

    MNdriver Road Train Member

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    Sure.

    And let everyone else control my life. No thanks you.

    Shipper needs 2 hours to get my trailer unloaded. They can have it. I'll unhook, go do what I got to do and come back.

    But don't make me sit there staring out a window for 2 hours.

    The willingness of drivers to do that is doing none of us any good.

    Drag it out past two hours, my time is valuable. You will pay for it.

    How is that having a temper? Because I don't let someone else dictate what I will do? And when
     
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  10. T...Street

    T...Street Light Load Member

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    Aug 19, 2012
    randolph co. NC
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    I guess I forgot ...the entire world revolves around You getting unloaded 1st I see people like that everyday, those who will push ,shove , tailgate, or by any means get to the front of the line...like I said one day you WILL run into someone that will push back. And BTW your time is no more or less valuable than anyone else.
     
  11. MNdriver

    MNdriver Road Train Member

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    If my appointment time is at 11am, and I show up at 10:30, I'm supposed to willingly just roll over when someone says you won't get unloaded till 2 pm?

    Now you are even making assumptions on my driving as we'll. I suppose you think I drive 70-75 all day long too.

    I harp on my wife to back off on following too close as well.

    I am vocal, not reckless.

    Major differences
     
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