Paperless logs

Werner Enterprises

 

I am not a seasoned driver and I have only a limited veiw of the trucking indusrty... While there is a preception that imposed by HOS regulations is rather an issue of money rather than safety. There are those in trucking like all other endavors that take everything to an extreme. I beleive most people will do the right thing reguardless of the laws imposed and there are those that will not... You can not have life with out risk and you can not hold everyone accountable for the few bad apples in the industry.

There is a lot wrong and it seems there is only limited intrest in trying to resolve the issues in this industry truckers and trucking companies make the choice to do nothing more that complaim

 

The company I work for now has a paperless system. I really like using it as it will keep you honest, but I had a re-lapse the other day. The truck I was scheduled to take for an overnight run was taken by another driver, and the only truck left in the yard was a brand new demo truck the company was using for a few weeks.
Well I contacted my dispatcher at home and informed him of the situation and he told me to take the demo truck. That was all well and good, but as I said we run paperless so I had to grab a spare log book and do it the old fashioned way.
The first mistake for me was I had no record of my last 8 days of service with me for the trip, so as soon as I left the yard I was in violation. The next mistake I made was I decided since I was using a paper log I could get home a few hours earlier. So I did intentionally do just that. I hate the fact that I did it and looking back on it what did I gain? Nothing really, I mean I walked into my house at 6:00 am instead of maybe 9:00 or 10:00 am.
After reading Turbo's post a few pages back it really makes you think as to what can happen if just one thing goes wrong out on the road.
So for those out there that are concerned about paperless logs let me tell you that they are a good thing, they will keep you honest. Also don't believe all the rumors that you hear on the CB, get the facts before making up your mind about them.

 

The paperless logs do keep you legal and I am thankfull for that much, however from what I "hear" they do not allow you to be on line 4 passed the 14 hour and that can be a problem for some drivers.

Does paperless logs allow you to split break? I am curious about that one

 

For both questions I'm not sure. My company runs us so tight I only get my 10 hr break then I'm back out again, unless I'm on an overnight trip then I can sleep a little more. Yesterday for example I shut down at 4:00pm and I came off break at 6:300 in the am. My first stop opended up at 7:00am so I had alot of extra time to kill.

 

It looks like there has been a lot said more on the paper style logs. Not really for or against either. Presently I am using Paperless. I have been for about 3 years.
In answer to your question yes you can do a split break. As far as the 14 hour violation I have never tested this.
I think you will see the Gubment start to force the industry into using Paperless however I don't think the older DOT officials want it any worse than the Truck Drivers do. There have been a couple of times when I was asked for my logs and handed the computer to them. They just smile and say have a nice day.
Will it make the shippers and receivers change thier habits? Time will tell. You could see some companies start running day cabs and "Pony Express" loads. Here again time will tell on that but I do know of one company doing that now. It just runs miles off of the trip and the road drivers sit on the crummy loads or wait for them.

 

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A couple things to know and consider about a paperless log system:

1. Sefety... since your 14 hr clock can't be stoped, even if you have plenty time to rest a couple hours and still make your delivery time (with plenty time to spare on your 11hr clock), you feel VERY compelled to keep driving -- if your driving clock and 14 hr clock get in sync. If you can't make your delivery time if you take a break to rest -- your delivery will be delayed by 8 to 10 hrs and most companies will penalize you for failure to deliver on time. This is a serious safety issue that did not exist up until last year when the time in sleeper would not stop the 14 hr clock. In several types of trucking businesses the drivers are forced to make a decision between resting and losing their livelyhood. It is shameful that the DOT can't recognize the seriousness of this mistake.

2. Money.... BIG MONEY.. MORE often than you think you can't unload until a business opens in the mornings and you can't park at their dock. This means that when you move your truck to unload your 14 hr clock will start and with no way, except 8 hrs in the sleeper to reset it, when loads come up in the afternoon you won't have enough time to take them...so they go to another truck. You'll miss that $400 to $800 load and sit for another day. Even a policeman or security guard can make you move your truck at any time and that starts the 14 hr clock and enventually costs hundreds of dollars in loss business. These kinds of flaws in the system need to be corrected.

Some of you will say that you would never cheat but the simple fact is that you have not been put into position to make a difficult decision. Wait till you have to decide if your freight is worth dying over or you will have to call a tow truck and pay all your profit for a couple loads to pull you to the delivery location while you sleep.

 

My company went a paperless system this year. It's not too bad but there's no way to fudge the books. Last night I went over on my 12 hrs. drive time and i still had to get back to port. So my paper book is legit but the computer isn't.

 

If you went over your 12 hour drive time you got more problems than you think....