SAIA hands free

Yes, you can change the radio, drink something, even munch on snacks and stuff. I've been running alongside a SAIA driver lately and have been picking his brain about these things, my impression is that short of you having an egregious disregard for safe driving, you are fine with regard to changing the radio, drinking stuff and having snacks etc.

 

I dont work at SAIA, but my employer has similair rules. Basically anything in the cab that is factory installed is ok to operate while the truck is in motion. Ever wonder why these companies that have Qualcomm, Samsera, etc., refuse to activate the 'maps & gps' functions? Its simple, they want you to use your phone to help you navigate, if you are involved in some type of accident, the D.O.T will check your phone, and even if all you doing is listening to goggle maps directions in the eyes of the law, 'you are on your phone while driving'. And you will be terminated. If the navigation feature on these ELD devices were activated, and you are in an accident the company is partly liable.

 

That is an interesting point: If you are listening to a podcast using the phone (but not actually "on" the phone) and unfortunately involved in an accident, then does that count as "on the phone?"

In other words, i will play a podcast, but i put it down.

2) Can't speak for saia, but here at upsf/ ups we're technically not allowwed to eat or drink while driiving. Now is it enforced.......?

(Note; i am not using spellcheck or grammar-check to observe how tired i may be)

 

Your theory on the lack of navigation is patently false. Virtually EVERY mega in the country that uses a QC/PN/Samsara etc. for ELD and workflow management also enable GPS Navigation as well. To say they WANT you to use your phone to navigate to shield them from liability in the event of you causing an accident is also wrong. The state of you being in the tractor is the biggest liability that the company takes on, regardless of what you do inside the cab. Flash your genitals at the public in the tractor? Company is liable. Get stuck on an active railroad with Explosive 1.1? Company is liable. Rear end a car? Company is liable. Tear up grass with a miscalculated turn? Company is liable. Cause an accident with navigation on your phone even if the company prohibits it? Company is still liable.

LTL in general doesn't for a few reasons.

• Time Wasted: P&D generally doesn't use it because it's a time waster, a driver with 12 stops on his truck with an average of 5 minutes of plugging in the address and checking out the route to use it amounts to about an hour of lost time in the day.
• Inaccurate: We all make fun of the drivers that follow their GPS to the tee. Even truck GPS's are wrong about safe routes. For example, while trying a truck GPS out once, I was being instructed to take an exit off I-95 in CT for CT15 (Merritt Parkway), a route with multiple bridges shorter than 13'6" as well as posted "NO COMMERCIAL VEHICLES".
• Lack of Integration: LTL generally uses separate systems from the ELD device to manage workflow for dispatch, delivery and pickup. There isn't one LTL company that I know of that can enter a route into a driver's handheld and the load information cascades to the tablet. Hence, why you still need to add shipment/trailer information into the log as well as specify equipment when you are entering your Pre/Post Trip information. This lack of integration falls into the "Time Wasted" section above
• Cost: Navigation being enabled in these tablets are subscription and license based. Each user within the ELD system has a fixed subscription cost to the company's overall software license. The cost to also integrate dispatching workflow from one system into the ELD is also prohibitive.
• Familiar routes: LTL Linehaul generally runs and for the most part doesn't deviate from familiar or dispatched routes. In addition to this, dispatch instruction paperwork likely has location information and truck safe directions to the next stop. Obviously this doesn't account for the times you decide to deviate off the highway to work around construction or an accident. But, even then, why incur the subscription cost per driver just to have the occasional use of an inaccurate navigation system to deviate from the dispatched route?

With regard to the mere use of Google Maps in use on a phone for navigation while driving being ..."on your phone while driving", hardly. LE will certainly get your phone records for text/call/other info that your cell carrier retains, but they won't get anything on your phone short of you giving it to them in an unlocked state.

"Let me look at your phone".
"With all due respect, Officer, please obtain a warrant to search my phone".
"If you did nothing wrong, then you have nothing to hide" (a very Goebbels mentality btw)
"I respect your opinion, Officer, but please obtain a warrant to search the phone".

BUT, if that is a real concern for you regardless, and you are in an accident... secure your phone. If you have an iPhone with TouchID or FaceID enabled, hold the Volume UP or Down and Power Button for two seconds to disable the biometric unlock. Doing so renders the phone in a state requiring your pin to be entered, giving you 5th amendment protection against being forced to enter it (which has caselaw behind it).

iPhones nowadays also disable the ability to connect USB devices an hour after the most recent lock (unless you had previously disabled it), preventing LE tools like GreyKeys etc. from being used to pull data from your locked and encrypted phone.

The software vulnerability that was found by a company to examine the San Bernardino shooter's phone has long been closed, and even before that, the FBI had to pay over $1MM to a private company to unlock it. This isn't to say they are infallible, but short of you deliberately running a bus full of nuns into a brick wall, the government won't put that much of their weight against you.

All things considered, just be safe, don't use your phone while driving. If you need to use navigation, there is no harm in it, keep it in a holder attached somewhere that doesn't obstruct your view or require you to take your focus off the road, set it to your destination BEFORE you start rolling and be done with it.

 

Both points also reinforce that the expense of the navigation setup is a waste.

Also, like most of our stupid policies at FXF, they are usually the result of a bunch of drivers being crybabies about certain things. I know of a lot of barns that bid city once a year and some that only bid when a spot opens and from my time on the city the dispatchers usually kept drivers in familiar areas where they didn’t miss lots of appointments and pickups.

 

I worked in the LTL indusrty for nearly 14 years, the company I worked at the time had Qualcomm with the navigation system not activated, they cited 'too expensive to have on'. I now work in the Petroleum industry and the company I work at had Qualcomm,now swithed to Samsara,navigation features will not be turned on, the 'offical reason is cost', talked with new regional safety director and he said the cost excuse is bullcrap, it is strictly a liability issue.
I understand the laws concerning privacy, and the 5th, and all that. If it gets back to your company that you were 'un-cooperative' with law enforcement on the scene of an accident even if its clear 100% sombody elses fault, your company is gonna come down on you like a ton of bricks.

 

I'll protect my freedom before I protect my job, but that's just me.