Cheating Logs

Management can face the same charges for forcing or allowing log falsification . But how many times do officers enforce those charges ? U.S. Xpress was fined for logbook falsification when audited in December '06 but nobody is going to charge Pat Quinn . If a few executives from trucking companies were convicted of felony charges driver abuse would decrease considerably .

 

Trust me when I say the the USDOT has issued many federal criminal penalties. In addition, there have been many CEO's, Safety Directors, and other trucking company top brass go to prison. Further, The FMCSA has also been hand in hand with the FBI and shut down many trucking companies for the actions you suggest.

 

Maybe with companies with 200 or 300 trucks but you see U.S. Xpress , Yellow , and Schneider speeding in 55 m.p.h. zones every day . An audit already showed U.S. Xpress falsifying logs . Money talks . No mega carrier will be shut down and no charges will be filed against their management . A $7500 fine against a company with $1 billion a year in revenue is a joke .

 

A CEO will always shield themselves to such problems. They never clearly stand either way. But how many times have drivers that comply have problems getting loads in these type of companies compared to the illegal type runners.

 

Yeah , I ran hopper bottom for a company once that advertised drivers made $750 - $1,000 a week . After a few months I complained to the owner I was working close to 70 hours a week and was lucky to gross $700 . The owner called me back , rattled off several drivers that had made over $900 a week the past few weeks . He told me I didn't know how to do my log book and gave me the trainer's number . I never called but he called me and said he never logged over 1/2 hour for loading or unloading (always takes 1 1/2 - 2 hours ) . I'm not working 80-90 hours a week and falsifying logs .
With this same company I pulled a load of corn from a farm without a scale and it was grossing close to 90,000 lbs. when I weighed in at a feed mill . I mentioned this to another driver and he said he couldn't make any money if he didn't run loads around 90,000 lbs . I was soon gone from this company .

 

I have been driving for about 7 in a half yrs now. I will admit i have and most have cheated on there logs. I do not recommend cheating its just not worth it. I have noticed that alot of company's have computer logs these days witch would make it impossible to cheat. I run a paper log book but my company also has gps on all of are trucks so we cant cheat. I really wouldn't cheat. truthfully i would personally start looking for a new job. and if it comes down to it turn the company and your bosses name in. its not there ### if you get hurt or hurt or kill someone its your driver.

 

Here's the problem: MOST drivers are paid by the miles, or by percentage, in which those rates are based on $/mile. The government wants to try and control you by limiting how many hours you can work, in the name of safety. A small tangent - the government cares about truckers so much that we are exempt from overtime pay laws. It is really as simple as this: you don't get paid for all time spent at shippers/receivers, fueling, doing your logbook and other paperwork, dropping and hooking, sitting in traffic, and most drivers don't even get paid for all the miles that they run.

Therefore, what is your incentive? You're not paid by the hour are you? By definition, you have to cheat on the logs, or a)your log book would be so screwed up, that it would take you forever to legally do the run, b)you wouldn't get many miles per week, c)you'd never get home, or d)all of the above. Most drivers know all of this. They are doing what they need to do to make a living.

The DOT knows this, too. They know it is a game, just like filling out a 1040 or anything else. Always keep a legal log book on you at all times is rule number one on the road. Hide the ones that you turn in to your company. There is a reason that OBR aren't in every truck and that is because food would be rotten when it got to the stores, there would be less parking than there is now, and there would be 5 or 10 times as many trucks on the road as there is now, thereby running up the cost of moving freight even more. BTW, you ever notice that the DOT never screws with a loaded bull wagon. Wonder why? The DOT also work more heavily in the day time than they do a night. Yes, there are exceptions, and if you don't pay attention, you'll get caught at 4 am on Easter Sunday, but for the most part the DOT work the daytime hours, simply doing there job. They know what the deal is just as much as we do.

There is what is written on paper, and there is the real world - and we all know what the reality is. Besides, you people talking about running legal on logs - do you obey the speed limits, even in construction zones? Are you faithful to your wife? Do you cheat on your taxes? Do you do a full pre-trip inspection every day and get any problem fixed no matter how small? I could keep going, but you get the drift. Every one cheats - not because they are bad people, but because they are playing that hand that is dealt them the best that they know how.

You want drivers to run legal? Pay them by the hour. There would be no more cheating on logs, and no more speeding. Drivers would be so courteous to let you in/out, because no one would be in a hurry anymore. Accidents would be a rarity. But, that is common sense, and there is no common sense in America any more. Thank you for your time.

 

What the hos need is operational flexibilty. I am not an advocate of running 1000 miles a day, but I would like to stop and take a break/nap when I want and not have it go against my 14. I liked the old system where you could stop the clock. Who knows what the next set of rules will be. Probably 10 hours driving with the current 14 hour rule. If they ever mandate EOBRS then things will really be a mess. The big companies might survive because they can do relays and still make service. If according to the stats that most truck/car crashes are the fault of the car, why not mandate better training for 4 wheelers. I mean the truck related fatalities have gone down every year since the implementation of the latest set of HOS rules.
I think the DOT says one thing for the media but in reality understand the economics of it all. That's why they probably allow for loose leaf logs. Always have it up to the last minute and neat and you'll probably never have a problem. I really wish it was based on your record. It would be nice if I could drive when I want and sleep when I am tired. As long as I don't get any tickets or crash into anyone I should be left alone. If I am a bad boy then I need to be under the government mocroscope. Wouldn't it be nice if it operated like that. Does anyone else believe that trucking is one of the most over regulated businesses out there? Does anyone tell a doctor how long they can work? Trucks can kill people and so can doctors. Maybe they can limit the amount of hours they can operate after a 10 hour break. Gee.. what would happen if you were right in the middle of doing a breast augmentation and only got the left side done? Sorry dear, we'll finish tomorrow, government says I am tired now and have to sleep. I know, this is a really dumb example.
Considering all that is currently happening with the economy, then CSA 2010, new HOS rules coming, possible EOBRS in future, CARB, TWIC, it will be extremely difficult to quench the driver shortage we will have in the future. The average age of the trucking proffessional is somewhere in the fifties. With everything coming down the line I wonder how many people will leave the industry. I would think the industry will try and recruit from ouside countries as they have in the past to fill the gap. How will all the new regulations affect that?
Maybe I should have posted those last few questions as a stand alone post instead of tied to an old post.

Anyhoo, really boring night, nothing on tv. Only football game is the boring GMAC bowl. At least tomorrow will be the national championship. Went and picked up a jet engine today that doesn't deliver until Monday so I should be able to stay home and watch, but unfortunately might have to run out to Norfolk tomorrow to pickup a dozer for a customer. Like anybody cares about that!

 

Good points - Lots of people with safety responsibilities are not bound by hours of service - doctors, firefighters/paramedics, law enforcement, military . . . I agree, it should be up to the driver to determine when he/she is tired.