Working around the ELD mandate

Don't worry, I didn't think you were advocating for those people to go through the same life threatening bs we go through.

I think Americans have forgotten the #1 value and foundation which this country was founded on. FREEDOM!

If we always chose Freedom, and would let it Prevail over ANYTHING! Life wouldn't be so overly regulated as it is right now.

Yet all the 4th of July they celebrate what they no longer have, at least it's just a measly illusion of what it should be.

I'm sure if you pay attention to the news, they always want to solve whatever problem by restricting our freedoms, as if they weren't restricted enough. I wonder when if ever are people going to realize that less freedom isn't the answer.

Like George Carlin said. Good old dose of American BS! Lol.

 

The problem is the HOS. ELD is nothing but a nanny to enforce a broken system.

The HOS are dangerous and impractical for many people. I myself have had erratic sleep patterns for years stemming from trauma I experienced as a teenager.

I find that driving for more than 8 - 9 hours is exhausting. Typically I only drive for 4 - 6. Then I sleep for 3 - 5 hours. When I wake,.. I am refreshed and ready to drive for another 4 - 6. Rinse/Repeat. Thats how I roll. Thats what works best for me.

I can and do drive for longer periods when required. But for the most part,.. I dont have to drive like that. Most of the time I am operating on recap hours anyway,.. or write it up so that it falls in line with the miles that I drive in order for me to be able to sleep the way I like to sleep.

To expect a one size fits all HOS package to work for all segments of this industry,.. all drivers,.. all classifications,.. thats just asinine. The HOS has been broken and dysfunctional for years. There needs to be more leeway for drivers to be able to make adjustments on the fly depending on how they plan to operate.

ELD is not the problem. I have no problem with an ELD if the HOS it expects me to follow allowed me the freedom to break up my drive time to drive more safely and not drive to exhaustion every day as expected.

Hurst

 

All I hear is whaaa, I want to break the rules, but now I'll get caught. 80 years of hos in one form or another, almost all within an hour or two of what they currently are. Your government had a chance last year to delay the eld rule, and chose not to. Them is the apples kids...

 

More regulation on the already overly regulated space isnt the answer.

If it was really about safety, they could've taken a common sense approach. A little bit of give and take. (But obviously we know they're not kn our side. Maybe if stupid OOIDA would have fought for HOS change instead of blaming elds)

Now that we have 100% compliance through Elds, let's make some changes to the HOS. Instead of a LAW they should be a guideline to work by.

Hear me out, they already make people jump through a lot of hoops to start a business, run it and keep it in compliance right? Well let's add one more thing that would be beneficial to the company's profit.

They can begin beta testing with small to medium sized carriers (the top 10-20% with top safety ratings/csa scores etc) and make them have a HOS tracking/analysis dept (really an additional safety person) who will keep track of the drivers working habits.

Make a law or an announcement letting drivers know that they have the last say of wether the truck moves or not. No action can be taken against them for refusing to drive unsafe because the dispatchers want you to (the good old complaints won't longer apply)

So now, you will give those carriers the freedom to use the HOS as guidelines and not a law, giving the drivers the ability to work as they see fit within those guidelines. Obviously reckless behaviors won't be tolerated

(Driving for long periods of times without breaks, working 18 hours straight and only sleeping 5 and back on it etc.. won't be allowed or at the very least will be heavily scrutinized by the HOS analytical personnel who would be required to contact you if there are unsafe behavior.

Bottom line, more freedom to the drivers, giving regulatory powers to the carrier to keep their drivers safe but working better and perhaps even more profitable. Maybe the whole 65mph crowd will die since there won't be as much of an emphasis on saving as much fuel when you can now produce more miles.

For example a 700-800 mile load no longer taking 2 days to deliver etc..

Again, if the goal was safety, an approach like that would make it safer and more profitable for everyone involved.

Rest my imaginary case

 

Well said, now if we could get everyone on board blaming the right culprit (HOS) and not eld.

For far too long people got away with a broken system because they had the Freedom to circumvent it. Now that the freedom is gone is time to dismantle the broken system.

With 100% compliance and GPS tracking, let me work how I want. Make me liable if I have an accident due to sleepiness or fatigue.. guarantee it will happen much less if we could work how we wanted to. Heck, traffic might even improve also lol.

 

I've been running like I want for the last 8 years as an O/O. I've been audited,.. I've been examined and probed,.. receipts checked,.. records of all sorts,.. and they still cant find fault with how I write my logs.

So there is no crying here. The only crying is from people who get bent because I refuse to comply with how you or others operate on ELOGs and the current HOS.

So as I stated before. I dont care what you want,.. I dont care what they expect,.. I will drive and operate how I feel comfortable and safe. Anyone that has issue with that can go pound sand.

Hurst

 

There's really no comparison between these numbskulls out here who think they need to run 3,000 and 4,000 miles a week and those of us making better money than they do on a fraction of those miles. They need to be regulated because they'll cheat and run 5,000 or 6,000 given the chance. That's pushing the bounds. Compared to me cheating a couple of hours so I can get to my own bed at home getting restorative sleep versus staying in the cab of the truck being compliant yet not getting good rest. And I do that on 1,200 to maybe 2,000 miles in a real busy week. So that is greed? Or not safe? Ok...

One is over the line and the other hurts no-one. In fact if I had ever been involved in an accident doing it my way on paper I can guarantee no lawyer would find anything to show my guilt. My paper logs were always current and the fuel stops never failed to match either. I took great liberties with creative logging to avoid driving in rush hour traffic, nap when I wanted and felt it was needed, versus a regulation making me do it when I'm not tired. But I would never have been nailed for cheating. It wasn't hard to do and it didn't hurt anyone.

Fleet owners love EOBR. It makes compliance a cinch but it doesn't make drivers safe. I hate it. It costs me money and has me driving at times when common sense would dictate taking a break. I knew 15 years ago they would force everyone on them. They did and it will never go back to the old way. It also won't ever be improved. The revisions will be an endless stream of more confusing nonsense while multi-billion dollar fleets and whole industries reliant on trucks will continue get exemptions from corrupt politicians and regulators.

If you think you got a raise from EOBR you've been one of the guys running cheap all along on paper. Rates are where they should have been all along. What kind of pushover were you that you weren't pulling similar rates to the so called current "boom times" back when we were on paper? With EOBR they don't pay for your time on two day transit loads going 400 miles. Don't be foolish. Those loads pay just as cheap as ever. 600-700 mile loads are team runs for EOBR trucks and the rate doesn't cover the time lost. That's the truth.

 

ELOGS don’t force you to drive when you are tired.
And we all know that drivers on paper logs will drive tired to get that extra load in, or to get her done.
Adapt or go make me a Big Mac

 

Neither the ELD nor part 395 force you to drive.

That is a lie spoken by folks who fail to receive compensation for their time.

 

Well Hurst the problem is you are doing it on public roads. And if you do hurt anyone while running like that I will be the first in line to pull the trigger.

All this grown assed man, big boy, doing my own thing is ######## because you are doing it on someone elses property, and then telling them "## I don't agree to the rules set forth for my use".

All of you people seem to forget these are not your roads.