If you could change the Logs?

Introduction

Having driven professionally during two distinctly different eras (mid-1970's through early 1980's and 2006 to the present) I have grown to despise log books (as I think many others have) and I will try to explain why and give an alternative. I may have missed, earlier in this thread, similar or related ideas...so I apologize if this has been covered. I also want to state that I have not thought my alternative solution through completely, so I might be completely off-base...and if so, please forgive me.

Why I Hate Log Books

It seems to me that log books place the ultimate responsibility for hours of service (HOS) on the driver...the guy/gal who has the least amount of power in the trucking operation. My history with dispatchers has always been about the same: "You need to get the shipment to whoever yesterday." When HOS is brought up it has always been wink, wink, nod, nod on compliance....just make it look legal based on the rules the government has in place at the time. At some point I got the message: No one cares about HOS...just get the job done, shut up, and lie!

So I premise this with "Whatever rules are in place for log books will be violated regularly because of operation personnel, shippers and receivers, who won't attend my funeral or if I am lucky, visit me in the hospital". We (drivers) have almost no power in this twisted relationship...My first go-round in trucking was like that and this time I made sure I found a job which allows me the freedom to not have anyone on my back (I know this is rare and I can make this happen because I don't have to drive - I am a retired teacher - I drive because I love driving trucks).

I feel that truckers ought to have one thing to worry about and that is DRIVING SAFELY...and that is more than enough to worry about. Speeding and sleep deprivation to meet someone else's expectations on delivery time shouldn't occur (particularly when that someone sleeps in the same bed at home every night). Our main goal (besides delivering our product and making a living) should be to come home to our loved ones and we want the driving public to be safe...I just don't think log books (and the myriad of rules associated with log books) achieve the goal of safety.

An Alternative Solution

A lot has been said on this thread about the problem being shippers making us wait, receivers wanting the shipment yesterday, and dispatchers acting as the go-between "muscle" between the two. I feel, and unless shown differently will continue to feel, that the person in the power position in any relationship should have the bulk (not all...but the majority) of the responsibility. I have some power over my minor children, I have responsibility for them. Why should trucking be any different? Why shouldn't shippers and receivers, along with trucking company and the driver, share responsibility when it comes to hours of service (but the bulk of the responsibility being placed on the shippers/receivers because they have the "power" to put the screws to the trucking company who then, through dispatch, puts it on the driver)?

So here is the alternative to log book solution which I have mulled over (though, not being the sharpest knife in the drawer, I have not completely satisfied myself that it will work as I envision it).

1) All shippers and receivers would have stamp clocks which are synced to the government time clocks. My daughter has one of these clocks in her bedroom...accurate to seconds a day, automatically updates for daylight savings or standard time...cheap, but very accurate and you can't change the time on it. These clocks would be provided by both the shipper and receivers at their own cost and they would be subject to random inspection by the county weights and measures people (just as fuel pumps gallonage and scales are now).

2) At the time the freight is put on board the truck the doors are sealed. The bills of ladling are time stamped and signed by both the shipper and driver, under the penalty of perjury, that the information is correct and the time on the bill of ladling is in-fact the correct local time.

3) From this point on a basic rule is developed which determines the MINIMUM amount of elapsed time which must pass before the freight can be unloaded. The penalty for breaking the trailer seal early will be shared by the shipper, the receiver, the trucking company, and the driver. Further the penalty will be severe enough that no one in the chain of command would consider violating the rule. I don't know the amount, but I do think it should be posted as a bond by all the parties. The greatest part of the penalty would fall on the receiver...they have the most to gain by the violation. Now, I don't know what that rule should look like, but let's do a scenario to see how this might work.

As an example, let's say the rules is: The distance driven from the shipper to the receiver divided by 30 is the minimum time (in hours) that the freight can be unloaded. Further, lets say that it is 1800 miles from shipper to receiver in this case. So using the rule 1800/30 = 60 hours. Simple to understand, no log book required! The minimum amount of time that can pass is 60 hours before the seal on the truck can be broken. Now I remember when I use to cover 1800 miles from the west coast to Iowa/Minnesota in the 1970's...I use to do it in 40 hours being pushed like a dog by dispatch running two log books and being "asleep with my eyes open". Under my alternative solution, I've got time...time to sleep, time to fuel, time to eat, time to be a human being! There is no incentive for me to speed or try to get to the receivers dock early - they won't unload....because of the steep penalty and the fact that they have to time stamp the bills at the dock (the bills would then be randomly audited). Dispatch can't push me, shipper can't push me, receiver can't push me, and if I am a knuckle-head I soon learn that I might as well not push myself.

I now leave it to anyone who is interested to punch holes in this alternative and I welcome it ...I'm just sick and tired of reading about the trucker who fell asleep at the wheel and kills himself or others (and getting ALL of the blame when he/she has almost none of the power to make a difference). I want to find a way to take the incentive to do the wrong thing and use the "cooking of log books" as the methodology to do the wrong thing. Flame suit on !

 

I may be missing something, but why divide by 30?

 

It was an example...a methodology to get to an easy number of minimum number of hours to unload:

"As an example, let's say the rules is: The distance driven from the shipper to the receiver divided by 30 is the minimum time (in hours) that the freight can be unloaded."

 

Think about it. It really should not take more than 30 minutes to load or unload a truck when they work at it on the average.

 

I totally agree!!( or make it ok to stop the 14 hr clock for naps)

 

THIS IS SO RIGHT ON! Someone send it to the DOT! or put this man in charge of the DOT. He is absoulutly right about the shippers and receivers having more culpibility in the HOS rules and regs. Their only part in things now, is coersion to break the law for thier benifit! As far as I am concerned, shpr/recvrs have lots of blood on their hands!

 

Couldn't have said it better. Neal, that's one of the best proposals I've ever seen...but it makes too much sense, so it'll never happen.

Still, nicely done!!

 

It was so much easier to lie when I drew a 5 hour line and then a 4...over and over again! Too easy!

I hate log books.

When everyone drives the speed limit, I'll log it legal. Until then, I'll be behind the steering wheel, not DOT - I know when I'm tired and whether I can go another mile, not DOT.

 

Truthfully I hate the HOS the way it stands now as i'm the type of person that has excess energy. But what I was thinking was just drop the 11hr and give me 14hrs. I'm never tired after 11hrs and it takes me 3-4hrs to unwind and I don't wanna be taking sleeping pills in the truck cause i'm not sure if its legal or not. Or train all drivers about sleep management and how to reconize when your body is tired and just drive til you're tired but I know that wouldn't fly with DOT. So just give me 14hrs, drop the 11hr, change the 70hr to 80hrs, keep the 10hr but maybe have a minium of 8hrs, change the 34hr restart to 36hrs and a minium of 48hrs at home. I would be a happy camper with those rules.

 

Nealinnevda, I like that you actually attempted to think through an idea instead of tossing out nonsense like most of us do. I almost hate to do this but what about drop and hooks since the seal won't be broken at arrival. Takes away verification which your plan is dependent upon.

Here comes the comment that will have angry drivers on my front lawn picketing...I don't mind the hours of service rules. I think it is a crime that it is so dang easy to cheat on them. Those rules aren't there to hurt you the driver but rather they are there to protect you. They are meant to protect you not just from your own stupidity(Yes Virgina some drivers are tards) but also from your boss's greed as well as the customers greed. I realize that by following the rules we can and do screw ourselves out of money. I also realize that there are drivers that flout the rules just to run more than they can handle and end up smearing themselves(And sometimes others with them) across the highways and trees.

Here is the comment that will cause the picketing drivers to now begin kicking my dog and poking my kid in the eye...I wish we had the on board recorders. The soon the better. No exceptions for anyone. I hear all the protest against them IE cost to independents, government intrusion and what not. You keep a log with the same info that the government can access at their leisure so I fail to see that one. The cost isn't that great(Every number I've seen was under a thousand). I personally feel that people that fight it want to maintain the ability to cheat the rules. These same people will also tell us that the rules are no good so why be so hell bent to have them.

Put EVERYONE on a level playing field and we will actually see what it really cost to haul freight. Rates will come up(Good for independents) and so will driver pay(Good for company drivers). I will now don my hockey goalie suit, commence the rock throwing.