Another failed e-log monitoring

Well, you know what happens when you assume.

Companies are no more likely to push a driver on an e-log than on paper...and now that there is specific legal language about it in the new e-log laws, probably less (whether or not it's enforced is a totally different can of worms). There is one word even my 18 month old grand son understands... the word is 'NO'. "Driver, our computer says you have completed your legal break, you have to roll now"..." Mr.Dispatcher, just because it says I am legal doesn't mean I am rested, my neighbor's noisey reefer kept me up half the night (or I have plenty of time on the load to deliver, or the weather has turned nasty, but they're working the road) so I will leave when it is safe"..."Mr. Driver, I said go now"..."Mr. Dispatcher, NO, I will move when I determine that it is safe for me to do so, if you want the load moved sooner, the you can come move it yourself...goodnight".

Rachi, I hated e-logs the first few months Crete put me on them, then I discovered the advantages and have been pro-elog ever since. My current company uses the dreaded Peoplenet system...and I am still pro-elog.

And before anyone brings up the experienced driver argument, I've been out here long enough to remember when it was 10 hrs on and 8 hours off, and no such thing as a 14 hr rule or 34 hr restart. Or, the excuse "I left my logbook on the counter when I stopped for lunch" would still get a chuckle from the DOT cop.

 

I had that very discussion one time with a former company... had a meat load going to NJ, was in Indiana, barely, with iced over roads when a meat dispatcher told me I had to roll... I refused, he told me he would take the load away from me and make me sit, I said do it... and hung up...

Called the safety department, told them what had just happened, was thanked, told to drive when I felt safe... Delivered that load to NJ on time. That meat dispatcher got a week off without pay for violating the no harassment policy of the company.

So saying no does work, if you have the backbone to say it. Yes we were on elogs, and yes it was a training company...

Elogs do not force anyone to drive... at anytime... The driver makes that decision. Yes the driver will get pressure from the home office to drive, make that pickup and delivery, as the competition for freight is fierce. But the ultimate decision is the drivers responsibility.

 

blaming elogs for incompetent drivers is essentially telling the world that you really have no idea what you're talking about... A sleep-deprived driver or an incompetent one without elogs is just a sleep deprived and incompetent with paper logs... They do not differentiate

 

Too many people keep trying to blame elogs for the problem

 

I do not see hoe E-logs have anything to do with this. When I was dumb and worked for a mega I would get a call from dispatch while I was taking a nap asking why I wasn't moving on a hot load. I simply would say that I would be moving again in a hour if I hadn't been woken up with their stupid call. Now I will move when my body decided it was rested and not a minute before.

Elogs are not the problem. Dumb drivers are.

 

All we know from the story is Perez fell asleep at the wheel and slick road was the cause of it..most likely Perez was legal to drive.my question is was Perez a trainer or a trainee.he had a passenger with him.the training in this industry is more like teaming.maybe Perez tried to sleep but couldn't.a driver from kb transportation last night around 1:00am near Kansas city hit a guard rail and died instantly.he had the hrs to roll but that doesn't mean he was fully alert to drive.he probably fell sleep at the wheel.dot will be paying kb a visit I reckon.

 

Hmmm....if you don't drive you don't get paid, and you don't get do-overs with a computer. The problem is the rules as written by people who have no idea about the industry. Just because it looks good on paper and sounds good when you talk to the liberal elite doesn't mean it's a good idea in practice

 

Looks here like we've got super truckers blaiming the system for trucking accidents. Sounds a lot to me like the people that would say gun control is unnecessary. Well it is isn't it? I'd feel a hell of a lot safe without gun laws and without HOS rules and hell, how about we get rid of the entire CDL process. A bunch of bad drivers pass the tests anyways. I mean all you gotta do is remember the answers and know how to park the thing in a straight line for them to give you the license. Well hoopty de doo da. Sounds to me like I'm just gonna have me another beer because I've seen this episode before. Hooopaaahh!!