E-Logs - the good, the bad & the ugly

I've been told it was rude and unproductive to mention politics in threads outside the political forum but thanks for the news of Lautenberg's death . I had missed that .

 

I mean what I said.

A log violation is just that, a log violation and no matter what the reasoning is, the driver has the power to deal with being pushed by the carrier no matter what. The EOBR actually helps the driver by limiting the carrier's demand for running tight, but at the same time the driver has to be a better planner for the majority of the time.

I've been there where times were tight and having my dispatch yell at me when I decided to find a place to park because I hit my tenth hour and told them I wasn't going to be stuck out in the sticks on the side of the road for the night.

 

I have been driving a 2 axle interstate truck for 5 years now. About 2 years ago our company switched to an EOBR made by JJ Keller (not the best by far but its improving). The EOBR is connected to the truck and connects to a cell phone app via bluetooth. It automatically changes your status when driving and stopped. Idling can be on duty or off and duty status can be changed automatically or manually. The app shows a grid for status changes and has a text readout on a seperate selectable screen that shows the required information for status changes (location, time, date, etc...). When stopped at the scales you present the Inspector/officer with an instruction card and switch the app to "roadside inspection". "Roadside Inspection" limits what the officer can do and see in the app. He can only see the past 8 days and cant make any changes. Logging into the app with a user name and password athen submitting the logs electronically at the end of the day serves as your signature. The logs being stored in the phone and on a remote server meets the 'duplicate' requirements. After duty status is entered it cannot be changed by the driver but an email to my administrator describing the reason for the change can be done.


I am a pro-eobr driver. The app does your logs automatically. The only thing the driver needs to do is log in, log out and make sure you manually take care of 'off duty' time for the new mid-day break time rules. The app will warn you if you are approaching any limitations (8-hour break time, 11 hour driving, etc..). I know that I'll get flack for saying this but, there is no reason not want to do it unless you want to 'cook the books'. The only down side to it, for me, is if the system decides to not work. EOBR is more accurate and much easier.


I came on here because a California officer told me that electronic logs are not legal. He let me slide because I happened to be driving locally that day but he insisted that I need a paper log once drive beyond the 100 air miles. This contrary to what another California officer told me 2 months before. This officer went so far as to say that the only acceptable electronic log is the one mounted in the cab with a tamper proof sticker. His reasoning was that the phone can be tampered with or modified. What a joke! How much easier would it be to have 2 paper logs or simply enter false information on a paper log? Give me a break! California may not allow intrastate drivers to use electronic logs but i have yet find something that confirms or denies. As interstate drivers we are governed by CFR's and not state laws in regards to logs. The CFR's clearly say that electronic logs are acceptable in §395.15 with some stipulations, mainly that they produce the same information that is on the paper logs.

Here is FMCSA's interpretation of the Law FMCSA .

 

I am curious, how does an EOBR work? I understand that it plugs into the diagnostic port. Does it read your speedometer sensor, or does it use a gps signal?

 

Uses gps and vehicle speed sensor.

 

I heard that someone was working on a transporter system so this point will be moot soon.