HOS changes and my perspective on EOBR's...

I can't speak for other companies, but I just got done telling you not 4 posts ago that WITH the EOBR's my drivers are harassed LESS, it used to be that I had to call a driver too see where he was, he would call me when delivered, I would call him with next load, he would call me to tell me he didn't have that many hours, I would call him back and let him know that there was no hurry on the load, deliver it when you get there, he would call back and ##### about having to sit the weekend till Monday when he just had a 34 on Tuesday.

NOW, I look up the available loads and hours to run them, I look at what hours the driver has left in the week, match the available hours with the load and everyone is happy.

What you are calling ENFORCEMENT,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, is EFFICIENCY.

These guys are getting more miles, less sitting time at the Truck Stop, and more home time. I can't speak for California drivers, but myself and my drivers IF on the road, PREFER to be making MILES, IF sitting somewhere, PREFER to be HOME.

As far as being pushed, you know NOTHING of my company and how it operates, you see, my guys all make THEIR OWN pickup and DELIVERY TIMES!!!

 

Some people will never get it.

 

Sigh, it is what it is, this is not my first Rodeo when it comes to drivers concerns, but I have to do what is right for ALL of my drivers, not just one.

I fought with some of the old timers here when we first went to Automated trannies, now NONE would want a stick back.

I fought with them on APU's some wanted to continue idling the truck, now they understand just how much fuel they save.

I fought with some of them over EOBR, now even the harshest critic, you know the self-described "old school outlaw trucker" has come around.

This world is changing and changing fast, heck, half the stuff I got away with growing up lands you in the state pen nowadays.

In the future, there will be those of us that can find the good in the change, deal with the bad, and continue on.

Then there will be those of us that "USED" to be truckers, I don't make the laws, and I don't agree with a lot of them, but sitting in the corner pouting about it will get you nowhere.

 

XRS EOBR's cost less than Qualcomms . The problem isn't drivers not knowing how to log . In many cases it's safety departments not being competent catching drivers' deliberate falsifications.

 

XRS is what we are running, we installed 7" tablets in all of the trucks, so now the drivers have there own Datalink, they can look up Google for Birdseye views on where they are delivering, they can access best fuel rates, check phone numbers, get loads emailed to and from them, print off BOL's and download apps, etc. so far so good.

Saves them a ton of time NOT having to stop and get faxes, or print off paperwork. It's a PITA to get off the big road find a TS, find a parking place, run in and then stand in line at the counter for 20 minutes, THEN they tell you the fax machine is broken, now go do it all over again!

 

I never said I know anything about your company,I never said YOU push drivers, What I said is EOBRs give companies the oppertunity to harras drivers..This is what the court battle is about Stan.. We seem to be going around circles ..I am only arguing with you about the court case....& making them mandatory for all solely based on safety reason when clearly ( as proven by you & your reasons for having them) it is not for safety reasons..

 

I've been on eobr's for two years now. At first I really couldn't fit my head around how I was still going to be able to accomplish the same level of performance as before. The only thing that gave me solace was that everyone I talked to that already had e-logs, absolutely, undeniably, LOVED them! They empathized with my fears and told me they felt the same way at first but, now they wouldn't ever go back to paper logs. How could this be? Were my fears unfounded? Well, only partially. Dispatch is much more efficient now because they have to be. I've been D.O.T.'d 2 or 3 times and wasn't hassled about logs. I mention my e-logs to shippers/receivers and brokers and they automatically know they can't let me sit too long or it's on them. You see, my main fear was based on being at the mercy of other peoples efficiency -now that fear rests solely on their heads where it should have been all along!

I now love e-logs and wouldn't go back if I had the choice. I have become those guys I used to ask about e-logs. I still average between 3200 & 3600 miles per week and get home at least twice a week. Yes, every once in a blue moon the eorb does throw a wrench in my plans and I no longer get the exhilaration of being an 'outlaw' but, the benefits outweigh these times when they do happen.

As to the OP, I would strongly urge anyone to embrace this technology now and find out why guys like me love these things. When they do become mandated, not if, you'll want to have a system already in use or else the government will dictate what and how your system will or won't work while the systems that have been up and running will be allowed to remain. Just my .02

 

shouldn't dispatch have been efficent before E-logs ? does not having E-logs mean I have more hours or its OK for a shipper/reciever to hold me up .? once again a weak arguement for mandating them ...

 

You seem to think there oughta be some kind of perfect world as dictated by you. Perfect drivers turning in perfect logs. Are you perfect?

 

no not at all far from it on some issues ... but to think a blackbox can fix all our woes is freaking hilarous....Every bytch I hear about why they are sooooo great , can be acomplished on paper just the same...I sure wish you people who love them would explain to me HOW EOBRs MAKE ME A SAFER DRIVER..I WANT TO KNOW HOW THAT WORKS ..PLEASE ,PLEASE TELL ME...see when it comes right down to it .the logbook is my resposibilty ..not the carrier,oh sure they must not allow me to submit falsified logs..but It is not the companys place to edit,change,or suggest to me what to put on a federal document that if proven false could put me in jail..