ELD BECOMES LAW IN 60 DAYS

This has been in the works for over a decade, we can 100% the old drivers for screwing it up for everyone being unable to run logs that at least looked legal. They want to blame new people but unless that new person has over a decade under his belt he had nothing to do with it, just the old timers. the industry thanks you for your inability to handle one of the easiest jobs on the planet. You screwed the pooch now the new ones have to pay for it. Good job!

 

Actually the big players adopted them early on because they figured out how much it would lower their costs because they were able to cut who knows how many office positions since logs no longer had to be audited manually. Then when they noticed a loss in productivity then they cried to the ATA who in turn started their campaign to "level the playing field" by trying to get a one size fits all regulation for a industry that isn't one size fits all.

 

Well, probably insurance rates and other considerations came into play more than office staff position cuts. I am sure that some carriers lost productivity and cried in their beer, but there have been a lot of companies that have gone over to e-logs some time ago that have also done quite well doing so. There are lot of factors. Customer base and contracts have as much to do with how well it works out.

 

I've never been shut down due to a log book violation in the 15yrs I've been hauling.

 

Never had a log book violation, but I only have about a quarter million miles over 9 years.

 

Sometime in the mid 90's there was truck driver in the local news in my hometown who had been involved in a fatality wreck. He plea bargained down and agreed to testify in open court about his routine. He talked about falsifying his logs and taking massive amounts of drugs to stay awake for days. When he finished his loads, he would take other drugs to help him sleep for days.

Can imagine this happened a few times too many and safety groups and powerful government people got involved to the point we are at today with mandatory ELD and drug testing.

 

Well, movies and country music songs about trucking sure didn't help the perception any. Long before the 90's, hollywood was throwing such things around. Try 1940 with a Bogart film, "they drive by night". Available on iTunes by the way. I have watched it a few times. Actually a very good movie.

 

Having not used any type of electronic logbook, I have a question for those that do. Understanding that there are very few ELDs out there that currently fully meet the new requirements. My wife and I own a small business in Alaska where we retail items bought in the lower 48. About once a month we drive to the midwest, load out and return home in about 10-11 days. We own one truck, a 2011 Cascadia.
First and most important: My wife and I drive through 4 different HOS zones (Alaska, N. Canada, S. Canada and lower 48 where HOS rules all differ, are there any devices that know this, or does the driver input the parameters? Paper logs were easy, because LEOs easily recognized the difference. Sometimes we had to explain, but they got it.
Second: Parking the truck for 45-60 mins on the Alaska/Canadian Highway while waiting on the pilot cars to make their 30 mile round trip during construct is a common occurrence during the summer. We would often use that as a break to head for the trees or kick rocks. Do the electronic logs allow you to do the same?

 

'return home in about 10-11 days'
With ELD it will take few days more

 

As far as available devices, I asked the people at Rand McNally and they told me their system was designed to be compliant with the law. The big issue is that it has to hook into the truck's computer, but all that takes is being able to plug into the diagnostic jack. The only time the EOBR has to change automatically is when you drive. If I have to sit, I just push a button to put myself in the sleeper, or off duty status. The new law will also allow drivers to edit if you forget to change your status. I don't know about the differences in the the different Canadian provinces.