Electronic Logs

They'd pull into a rest area for 20-30 minutes in the day, all of it on Line 4. It would have taken them 10 seconds to reach up and log it as line 1. They run in, out in two minutes. It would have taken them 3 more minutes to sit and wait for it to reach the minimum time of 5 minutes for a change of duty status.

Some of the little things that folks need to work through.

There is a provision in 395.8 that allows a driver if he is not required to be doing the work for maintenance, loading/unloading to be shown as off-duty. I have put it up here before and people just ignore it. I have even given a copy of the exact verbiage that is in the FMCSA ETA manual for companies. The FMCSA TELLS you how to log it as off-duty and it's ignored.


I actually had to work HARDER on E-logs to plan my day out than on paper. Because once you start that 14 hour clock, your day IS defined until it runs out. On paper, I am just more relaxed. Some would say I am running illegal because I might stop at 3 PM and take a nap while waiting for the rush hour traffic to end in a metro area like Chicago and then run until 11 or mid-night to get to the other side.

I still only ran 670-700 miles for the day, but I did it in a manner that did not have me in a more hazardous situation. E-logs WILL force a truck to travel during those times of heavy traffic. You HAVE to utilize that 14-hour window. It sucks.

Take away the ability of a company to have direct tracking or communication into the truck, I'd likely be a lot more comfortable with them. But the 1984 factor is just too creepy for me. And I have had an employer go to that extreme with me. Telling me at 4 PM just outside St Louis I needed to be driving instead of stopped in a rest area as I had too many hours left to drive in the day to park it yet. WHAT? I can't even stop to take a piss and make a sandwich?

 

Yeah that I don't care for.

My dispatcher and I have an understanding. He leaves me alone and I stay on time for my appointments and loads

 

At least they ain't texting. If it only works when not driving we should see plenty more drivers along the white line, if that don't cause the accident, maybe they'll get them giving 2 blinks then moving out in oncoming traffic.

 

It can work while driving if your company allows it. So that would be a company choice, I know with PeopleNet you have the option of turning it off when the vehicle is in motion, setting a certain speed, allowing it to work for teams, or just leave it on for everyone.

 

some here say that the ability to conform to that computer is TIME MANAGEMENT, but you working in a way you feel comfortable, that is lazy outlaw driving

and that your concerns about big brother is nothing more than "tinfoil hat" talk

but i agree with you, 100%

 

I'll have to find me a blow up doll for a team mate if they put an E-log in my truck.

 

Like meltom said, it's up to the company.

In my truck mine locks out if I go above 5mph.

 

I am not whining. I do not back e-logs so much. I have only stated all along that they are not as big of a bugga boo that everyone makes them out to be and that a person, when they learn how to manage things, can make as much as they ever did on paper. Simple. I find it somewhat of an interesting thing, that if I say that they are not that big of a deal, all of a sudden I am a e-log lover, backer, or whatever. I only stated they are just another tool to get a job done. Simple.

And there is plenty of evidence that e-logs can benefit. Simplification of record keeping, reduction in office staff to read and analyze hand written logs, less paperwork needing a filing cabinet to be put in, better utilization of equipment thru better load planning and scheduling. All of these things save money. And the good carriers that have done this have taken that savings to provide APU's to drivers, increase pay rates, etc. True, not all carriers have done this, but the good ones have. And depending on what e-log equipment they have purchased, they have provided GPS routing capability, and the ability to scan paperwork directly from the truck for the driver, thereby saving the driver time and effort and saving wasted miles running around trying to find a drop box or scanning facility.

And there is always the benefit of being able to upset the applecart for some aggressive attorney, in the event of legal action, that wants to try and prove that the driver falsified logs and the truck was not where is was supposed to be. In our lawsuit crazy culture, this can mean a lot to a driver and the carrier both.

Does that help you out?

The ONLY arguments I have seen against e-logs, is that a driver would like to falsify his location and use his time to play with Mary Jo Rottencrotch at the truckstop. As far as showering and other things, You have 14 hrs in which to drive that 11 hrs. If you can't seem to figure out how to get a shower, a bite to eat, get out and take a short walk to avoid deep leg thrombosis, that is your own problem.

The only thing we all seem to agree on, is that they do nothing to improve safety. And I have never argued that they would.

And the bogus argument about being an hour away from home and having to stop shows the myopia of some. This is why I have ALWAYS had several locations where I could drop a trailer and then bobtail home LEGALLY using OFF DUTY DRIVING. Of course, I could always leave the truck and have the wife pick me up. All of these drivers that have sooo much experience and know all there is to know about trucking should be able to negotiate various locations to securely drop a trailer and bobtail home under a LEGAL personal conveyance option in the FMCSA regulations, or rather, the FMCSA's interpretation of the regulations. I do it all the time. I even use my truck to go take care of personal business, both on the road and at home, with an e-log in the truck. Personal conveyance and using OFF DUTY DRIVING. The very same thing I could always do on paper. Nothing has changed.

 

Some companies dont allow off duty driving and im not dropping a trailer with 400k of copper in it...

 

I suspect that when all of the companies are using the e logs, there will be a move to standardize the way they record things.

I expect to see the removal of the line 5 for instance.