Cheating Logs

Five miles from my exit, friday evening, felt a bump on the truck. Car hit rear trailer tire and had a blowout. Long story short, the guy was lucky to live through the accident, all the glass in the car was broken out except for the drivers side, front and rear. State police looked at all paperwork, nobody cited, no drug test, no driver error. Everyone happy today, but if I had been over hours on that logbook, I am shure that I would have been charged for total responsability, the car was totaled, his dog was killed in the ensuing confusion and traffic. It's your license, do what you think is best. drive55cat

 

I wish this was in the regulations forumn instead but ok! That's why I am not responding like I usually do. Sorry

We allow our drivers to log the "STATE" speed limit and log what you are actually doing and there should be no problems.

This means: Lets say your company has your truck set # 60 mph and you can't go any faster than that. So if you are in a 65 mile hour state the company/DOT knows you can't be going any faster than 65 at that time. If you show getting from one point to another in less time (giving # least a 15 minute lee-way) they will write you up for false log point to point or false log speeding (just depends on how they word it really).
The drivers saying ok it only takes 7 hours from this point to this point
and that's what I will log, but it took you 9 hours to get there. Unfortunately your luck the officer that pulls you over after that traffic jame about 2 hours later will say no it took you longer because of this situation. It's happened to the best of the best drivers

So be carefull is all I have to say

 

Maybe you would not have been charged at the scence but once them attorneys subpeonia (sp?) them qualcom records "if" you was illegal then the battle is on.

So yeah point proven accidents happen, we don't plan them and we must be legal at the time

Thanks for the story

 

Yeap you are right, but unfortuantely you might also be wrong. Come work for me and you just might get caught the first time you try it and you might get by with it for 2 x's but I guarantee you get caught by logs or your dispatcher and we don't have the Werner system either. It's all watching what the driver is doing and knowing how to catch them.

Let me tell you a little story: I had a woman who came in and was logging illegal, I explain everything to her and what could happen if she was in an accident. Well guess what about 2 weeks later she is in an accident that was beyond her control and guess WHAT? She was legal at the time, she was so relieved, the problem is she wasn't legal the prior 30 days and the attorney will "TRY" and use them 30 days or up to 6 months against her and try to find a pattern. They don't just look # that ONE day, they go back as far as they want and look at your logging history and what the company has done about your violations.

So please be carefull when you are making them "LOGS" look legal and they really aren't. Just my warning to you

Ask the guy who is in prison for killing those 4 students, Taylor University accident" research it and learn and read what them articles are based around "false logs".

I only try to help drivers learn from "someone" elses mistakes, even though you will not learn until someone else tells you or you have to pay a fine
Save your money and spend it on them kids, food, nice things etc. don't give it to the state

 

I got forced to run outta hours before on my first job an got really lucky. I got caught. I had someone try to change lanes into me an I had to react and move over into the centre turn lane an an on commin vehicle called the opp an said a transport is all over the road and they came after me. I was only 19 at the time the old cop told me it was his last day before retirement. Told me just to go 2 mintes down the road to a truck stop an stay there for my 8 hrs. (before the change to HOS) and count this as the luckiest day of your life. Its not worth it cause u never do know what will happen. I was forced again to run over hours an I just parked the truck got in my p/u and went home.
Its not worth it cause there are many companys that will pay you the same money to run legal. That way you keep you paycheck in your own pocket and not in the governments. I know I pay them way too much as it is with Taxes!!!

 

To thine own self be true. Every company out here wants you to think that they will back you, dont fall for it. Cover your butt, because they will cover theres, If in a accident you are only required to talk to your attourney (get one your company will). CHP on sceen can and may take a copy of the last 7 days of your logs. How you log is very much a personal decision and you cannot expect to get a honest commitment on how we actually log on a public forum. This is my advise, Every log book page should be filled out as though you were going to use it to defend your self in a legal proceeding. Always keeping in mind the things that have a time stamp, and all newer trucks have a engine computer that tells everything but location. And if you have a qualcomm it checks into Qualcomm San Diego, CA every 15 minutes with a general location. Not a lot of cheating room left. You really have to practice good time management.

 

This logbook stuff is very sobering for an aspiring trucker as myself. I'm taking every bit of it seriously and I won't let myself get pushed into being illegal. It sounds like you almost have to have the logbook open in front of you 24/7 and watching your time like a hawk, sounds very stressful!

 

You do need to keep it close just think everytime you hit/pull that Yellow/chrome button u gotta grab your log..... once you get in the habit it aint so bad.
The more you stay on top of it the easier it is cause theres no remembering.
Today I got pulled for overweight on my drives and they asked for log photocopied it an I had no problems cause I was up to date. If you do everythin legal, they let you away with more.

 

Just say no to creative logging.

That's what I thought 8 months ago when I started out. It went OK for the first while. The first time I was dispatched something I couldn't do legally I let them know and they rescheduled, no problem at all. Then a few months ago I ended up at 70 hours, a couple hours from home and no hours available for more than a day. Just this one time I thought, of course you know what happens after that.

So really, just don't do it. I know better but still did it a few times before realizing how dumb I was being. I plan to be driving for a long time and getting home a day later is pretty minor compared to screwing up a good thing.

The problem is it's just too easy. The companies don't officially condone it but I think most look the other way so no real pressure there. Depending where you are and where you're going the chance of getting caught can be very small unless something bad happens. So really, what's the big deal? The big deal of course is that you can end your career or worse.

I've been lucky and don't plan on taking anymore dumb chances. I have too much at stake.

 

How about the FMCSA. As a retired federal DOT official I had the right to fine you as much as 1/2 million $ and/or 5-years in a federal pen for knowingly, or willfully violating any rule in those little green & white rules books given to you.