Can't Sleep Here!

I don't disagree with your general point here, but I do find your screed mildly amusing. Having worked for Werner myself for about two years, the electronic logging system was probably my favorite thing about it.

Yes, it does strange things at times. Yes, sometimes you'll have to pull out all the stops in arguing with the logs department to correct problems -- but for the most part that department is very reasonable, and for the most part the machine works as advertised.

It sort of became a game for me, actually, trying to fit as much driving time as possible into my day, despite the electronic log.

Then again, I never lost an argument with the logs department; I guess mileage will vary.

There were, of course, also a couple of times that I just couldn't avoid violating the rules, like the time I was sent to a scrapyard in Compton for a pickup with 2 hours left on my 14. There was no way I'd be able to park there overnight; I told dispatch that ahead of time, but they insisted that I could stay.

So I get there, and not only is there nowhere to park in the walled facility itself (duh), but the dudes doing the loading were all shakin their heads and saying, "You'll be shot if you park on the street." Sometimes you just have to get out of dodge. I coulda called a wrecker, I suppose, but unfortunately a wrecker turns what would otherwise be a simple warning for a rare 14-hour violation (from the company's perspective) into what Werner would view as a considerable, unnecessary expense.

The only other time I had to drive after my 14 was up, I got lucky; I bobtailed away from the consignee (who had kicked me off their lot) with my flashers on, going about 10 MPH and praying the satellite wouldn't pick me up, til I found a local gas station, where I was given permission to park, by a local cop, no less. (He was sitting in the lot for I-don't-know-what reason when I pulled up; maybe he was watching for juvenile vandals and was actually therefore relieved to have me sit there instead.)

Anyway, you do the best you can. On the whole I think the electronic log does more to protect the driver than it does to hinder him. The company's log system does have its slighly shady side (more on this later), but if the choice is between having a dispatcher who not only knows but also has to try to work within my remaining hours and one who guesses, I'll take the former every time.

Cameras pointed into the cab (or whatever crazy, big-brother-inspired tech people like to toss around) would be a whole 'nother kettle of fish, of course.

Yes, the signal thing can be annoying. There is (or was) a petro in western PA where I just couldn't for the life of me get my log messages through. Delivering to underground post offices in major cities was also a pain; I had to hope my cell phone had enough reception to allow me to call logs.

Yeah, they do this so the drivers don't get cute. In theory, if it only put you on line 3 the second it sensed movement, you could get a lot of extra driving time just by never sending the appropriate macro to start your day. In other words, you wouldn't have to wait til 8 minutes past the quarter hour to get credit for that quarter hour; you could just start driving, and there's even a chance the satellite wouldn't pick you up til the next period (depending on where you are, the traffic, etc). At least this way, if you want to ensure you're compliant, you have to sit there til 8 past, and manually send the macro to change to line 3.

You must've dealt with a real hardass, though. The one time I forgot I had to argue for quite awhile, but finally got the point across.

Totally true. The inflexibility of the rules (the HOS rules in general, not just the Werner log department rules) is a bit unrealistic.

And as this thread implies, the weight of the world is on the driver's shoulders.

The Fed is after you because I guess they feel they can't go after the four wheelers that cause 90% of the accidents on the road. The state/local authorities are after you because you're a good source of revenue. The general public is after you because big trucks are unsightly, noisy, and the rare jacknife on the local highway makes more news than any ten car-to-car fatal accidents.

The trucking industry is after you because you're replaceable, and it's always easier to pass responsibility to the driver.

And the environmentalists are after you because they're bat-**** crazy. Oh, and as to dispatch: Dispatch isn't precisely after you, but it's accurate to say that they don't give a rat's furry butt how difficult some of their scheduling ideas make your life.

All of this is piled on top of the general lack of parking in busy-for-freight areas (especially the northeast), the constant requirement that we drive these 70+ foot trucks in places they have no business being, the lack of home time and personal life, crazy-long work hours for generally poor pay, and the total lack of anything resembling a routine. On any given day, there's a solid chance your average trucker doesn't even know where he'll be sleeping for the night.

Sorry, bit of a rant there. It just frosts me that everything is the driver's problem. Yeah, we're all aware of private property rights, and I'm sure most of us wouldn't have the law any other way, in principle; I surely don't want the federal government to start mandating that private businesses must allow or disallow this-or-that vehicle to sit on their property -- but a little common courtesy would be nice, where possible.

Yeah, once I had to circle the parking lot all night at a truckstop in Jersey. Wasn't loving the logs then.

This is the slightly shady part about Werner's system. If your truck slows down enough (like, say, if you're in a traffic jam), the computer automatically puts you on line 4, presumably to save time on your 11.

I guess it's good and it's bad. On the one hand it means you'll have an easier time getting a correction if you legitimately stop somewhere and forget to send your macro 8, but on the other hand if you want to be cynical, it's a good way for the company to preserve the driver's productive time.

The other thing that's slightly shady about Werner's system is that they encourage you to log no more than 15 minutes on line 4 for any pickup, unload, or stop in-between.

It's also a tacitly endorsed practice to play a little loose with line 4 events, like fueling or VI. I could, and often did, consolidate my VI with a fuel or a load/unload in the morning, saving myself 15 minutes almost every day. Or if I pulled into a consignee at the end of a shift and had to move the truck 5 hours later because the unload was finished, I was expected to log it as if I took a contiguous 10-hr break with a 15 minute load/VI in the morning.

These may be unfair criticisms, as the computer has nothing to do with them, but it's worth mentioning that even an electronic monitoring system can be gamed, even as a matter of company policy.

Sorry for the novel. I didn't mean to go that far; I just think the thread is interesting, and you (phroziac) had a couple of hooks for me to latch onto.

 

I agree that it's not all Wal-Marts that are bad when it comes to being able to park on their property. I think it's often a case-by-case basis.

For example, the Wal Mart in Grants Pass, OR allows truck parking. They have a designated area around the back of the store. Just have to stay out of the main parking lot out front. Also didn't have a problem at the Hermiston, OR Distribution Center when I needed to take a nap.

As far as time management..I can agree with that as well. I never roll up to a shipper/receiver pushing my HOS. I always work to manage my time to where I have a good buffer, and only extreme circumstances would cause me an issue.

Granted, there are no absolutes in this industry and there are going to be times where circumstances may lead to an HOS issue. Those are the cases where I think that shippers/receivers should be a little more willing to work with us.

 

Trucked Up I had to laugh. Sounds like everything you are talking about I had happen. After a while though you learn the tricks and know how to cya. Great post.

 

So u know how long a shipper or receiver will take loading or unloading everytime???I have spent 34 hours at a shipper or receiver waiting to get loaded or unloaded in the past. I think u are missing the point. The shipper or receiver controls the length of time. I have spent 30 minutes and as much as 34+ hours waiting u never know,

 

Garbage is the big issue. Pueblo CO Target DC has a dirt parking lot with free parking.
When I was there a few months ago, the middle of the dirt lot had a trash pile 3 feet high with bottles, garbage etc. So I figure within this year, they may blockade it off.
We all have to fuel, throw garbage out then.
Truck stops have issues also on emptying there garbage bins by the fuel islands, so that does not help us.

 

Peeing in bottles is just plain gross in general.

 

Well when you're sitting in gridlock traffic or nowhere to go and your eye balls are watering you have to go so bad, yeah ill pee in a bottle versus peeing my pants.

 

Likewise, when I wake up in the morning, and all I'm wearing is boxers and a t-shirt, and I'm 500 feet from the truckstop, I'll use the bottle.

 

Ummm aint that what the empty bottles for?

 

Did u pee in your living room too?? The truck really is no different.