BREAKING NEWS: Senators introduce bill to require EOBRs

Very good point. I run over hours by far but i always get a good night sleep. if i had to suffer in temperature extremes to the point of not sleeping well, thats when i would be a danger.

 

Its a typical government knee-jerk reaction to an event... enough sleepy drivers slaughter enough 4-wheelers, and something like this happens. It won't change any of that. The large-carrier support of this measure suggests something else... getting all of the competition on the same economic footing. A primary reason my carrier went to it was to cut down on CSA 2010 logbook violations.

 

Then if your company needs help to keep their drivers legal...two problems:
1. The company in how they manage their freight.
2. The drivers...can't stay legal on their own!

Never done the "elogs" so I will have to take your word on that one. It doesn't make sense to me...whatever!

Yep...I see the difference between high noon and midnight is a tough difference to contemplate!

1. Don't know where you went to school, but I learned how to tell time before Kindergarten. 4th Grade, we were already into working with ten thousands and multiplication...not simple arithmetic!

2. Just for the sake of reference...I haven't been a "Swiftie" in over 2 years...must have slipped by you!

To read and comprehend was another thing we learned prior to 4th grade. This announcement clearly stated it would require the FMCSA to implement the rule within 3 years of it passing from a Bill to being a Law.

Maybe there is something to the air in CO...or you been smoking the same stuff as Rex!

 

They manage the freight just fine. Its up to the driver to determine if the load is acceptable considering his hours. We stay legal just fine, of course that is up to the driver - get put out of service, and you get routed in for a discussion; get put out of service again, they tell you to give Swift a call.
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Its a case of dealing with DOT and CSA2010 scores - we're good on most catagories - tickets and logbook mistakes/infractions were the biggies. They can both be fixed - currently its through moving our fleet to elogs, education and training. Management hasn't said anything about tightening the rules on numbers of tickets/severity before sending you on to another carrier.

The other thing they've been stressing is that when we asked FMCSA to come in for a compliance review last year, they were only interested in matching our paper logs to electronic location tags. They weren't interested in the paper trail at all. Elogs are based on GPS data as part of the logging procedure, so it fixes that problem completely. It also provides the load planners with better data on our availability; I seem to be sitting much less frequently since moving onto the electronic system. Still, I have to be the final judge on whether I'm capable of doing the load - we're not force dispatched.

Under elogs we keep the fractions of a 15-minute period you throw away on a paper log system.

Two days on one page. Get sleepy enough, and it all kinda runs together! Just gets real messy when you try to run the next day over the part of the previous day you put in the wrong section. Very easy fix...

Yeah, but at your kindergarten they didn't teach split sleeper berth calculations. We had it in day care.

Yeah, I know... just giving you and Nana a hard time.

That didn't escape me. So you're saying you read and comprehend at a 4th grade level? Hmmm... Jethro Bodine is going to like the good news brother!

I sold my stash to Rex when I gave it up for truckin'!

 

The "stinking box" only keeps track of your time. Keeps you from giving in to the impulse to start that second or third logbook. What was announced today was implementation on ALL CMVs involved in interstate commerce within 3 years.

Yes I am quite aware of the of the implementation curve the gooberment has! why do you say I have a second or third log book? Seems a little rude on your part! I have never ran those!....never will... nor has my company...! It is okay by you to level the playing field ? at least that is what i am assuming from your post? For the gooberment to control... dictate... tax.....! just like the mega carriers want?

 

http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=25268

 

Great response to all points...and I will partner with Jethro any day...him and his little casino in Carson City!

Yes we did do split sleeper in 4th grade...that is how I got to know the Principal so well!

 

JB, Knight, Maverick, Schneider and US Xpress. Hmmm...Swift isn't on the list. Now why would that be? Oh, oh!! I know! It's because Swift passed the compliance review with flying colors...something Prime couldn't do. Which is why Prime went to e-logs and Swift won't be doing it for years yet.

Maybe there's just something to that Swift training, eh?

By the way: if you get fired from Prime for log violations, tickets, accidents or anything of the sort, Swift won't touch you with a ten-foot pole held out the Werner office window. Just look at all the threads started by experienced drivers who couldn't get hired....by Swift.

Just as an example: when Prime was still on paper, a driver was allowed 60 violations within a six month period. The driver wasn't even contacted until he or she racked up 30. I know this because I heard it straight from the horse's mouth. I was concerned about the only log violation I turned in to Prime and spoke to Sheila about it. Swift will fire you if you have 4 violations in a 60 day period.

Here's my issue with e-logs and the current HOS rules. You can be perfectly legal to drive, but not safe to do so. The concepts are mutually exclusive. Here's an example:

On my 70 hour clock yesterday, I had 6.25 hours available. I was picking up over 10 at midnight, with a 0700 delivery in Carlisle, PA. I started my day in Crawfordsville, IN. I fueled, did a VI and rolled for six hours to Valley Grove, WV, arriving at 1400. I still had a little over 3 hours to drive to reach my destination. So I attempted to rack out. I'm not very good at sleeping during the day and will not take sleep aids because even OTC ones will destroy my judgment. I dozed, but didn't get real sleep until about 2000. Midnight comes four hours later and I have to roll. I PTI, drive 3.5 hours and arrive at my destination with 15 minutes to spare. If you haven't figured out by the hours, I am logging in Pacific time.

So: I am rolling between the hours of midnight and 0400...the very hours science has proven are when a human gets the most restful sleep...on basically 4 hours of sleep, but a total of 9 hours in the sleeper. Legal? Absolutely. Necessary to make delivery? Yup. Safe? You be the judge. My opinion...not as safe as I would like to be. I'm glad traffic is lighter during those hours.

When I was on e-logs with Prime, I had several conversations similar to this:

FM: you have hours to roll, need you to pick this up.
Me: you just woke me up. It's 11pm.
FM: I'm showing you have hours. You should have gotten sleep earlier.
Me: I told you I was going to get a shower and do some laundry. Unless you want me to drive naked and stinking.
FM: well, you have hours, we need you to roll.

You know something? I have never had that conversation with anyone at Swift. The only question I ever get is, "we okay to deliver on time?" When it looks like things are getting tight, as they did yesterday.

 

Injun, I won't get into a debate about Swift,JB,ect because I have no experience with any of them. You did bring up a valid point about being woke up, just because you have hours to run. This is just one of many reasons (my opinion) why Trucking burns many people out. Why call someone at that time of night? Did they just get that load? Repower? Many things may have happened but, thats no excuse for "You have hours,you need to roll" I have done this long enough to know that 99.999% of "hot" loads are BS. That freight will wait.

 

I say it's high time for an electronic revolution. Keep America Beautiful... Shoot a Computer Today.