Did anybody get inspected for ELD yet?

The Western Express driver featured in this news article (Crashes, slide-offs reported across Maine) might want to blame the ELD for this crash, but some stuff is all about what the driver did or did not do.


Image source: Crashes, slide-offs reported across Maine

 

That's not a news story, it's a tweet! Less than a paragraph of anything relevant. (Stupid move by the driver to talk to the reporter too, you never know what they might take out of context.)

I had my fun in the snow Thursday. It was nice having serious reductions in traffic. I had two local runs, a p/u & d of under 120 miles and a bobtail run to fetch a loaded trailer from a vendor 80 miles r/t (and my boss let me take that trailer home since I was delivering it the next morning, so take off another 20 miles)

Empty/bobtail I had serious traction issues. But the skills I picked up driving Crown Vics in the 90's still work (ex-taxi/limo guy). Momentum is everything, you need it uphill you bleed it down hill. Brake before you turn the wheel (racing rule: Slow in-fast out) and keep away from EVERYBODY!

I'm more comfortable doing 40 in a 55 in a foot of snow ALONE than I am doing 30 in a 55 surrounded by frightened, inexperienced 4 wheelers. Especially when they travel nose to tail! Doesn't anyone show these people videos of how pile ups start?

Anyway, good practice session, glad I got home in one piece, and if it was any worse than it was I'd have stayed home.

 

Got a Level I in Umatilla. We still haven't been able to get our Keep Trucking ELD working (not getting power to the ELD through the plug). Using Keep Trucking unconnected under the 90 day Ag. Commodities exemption. No problems, got the sticker and everything.

 

Wow, 40 years accident free AND you've always been an outlaw... really?

Since you seem to be proud of the outlaw aspect, will you also tell us your DOT# and current location?

 

It's not too hard to do.

I only have 30 years without an accident and running the way I like to run though.

It seems the ones telling me it couldn't be done were the ones who couldn't do it themselves and found it hard to believe. Just because you can't do it...

 

Your reply is more polite than mine was going to be.

 

The flaw in your logic is that "Outlaw" is NOT synonymous with "Unsafe", just as "Legal" does not guarantee you are "Safe". For example, the Walmart driver was "legal", but very unsafe when he crashed into that alleged comedian's limo.

Running "outlaw" simply means you act like the grown ### adult you're supposed to be, and take responsibility upon yourself to drive when you're awake, rest when you're tired, and color the book however you need to in order to make it look good. That's far better (and safer) than a driver being treated like a child, complete with curfews and bed times. Rather than driving when you're awake and resting when you're tired, you have to sit there when you're awake waiting on that 10 hour clock to expire...and then make up for that by pushing all day through the 14 hour clock instead of stretching your legs once in a while.

If running legal meant you were safe, elog-equipped trucks would never run off the road or crash into stopped traffic. The frequency of these types of stupid crashes increased as more and more carriers were adopting elogs in preparation for the mandate's enforcement date, so how can you continue to claim elogs make the roads safer or that paper logs mean more crashes when the evidence is contrary to your beliefs?

 

Don't you realize how much damage the complacent outlaws can do to our industry?

 

You've made some great points and I'd like to review the evidence mentioned. Can you include a link to that source?

 

Do you realize how much damage the ignorant compliant steering wheel holders can do to our industry?

How does it look when that elog-equipped truck is seen racing through town at governed speed?

How does it look when two elog equipped trucks are creating a rolling road block 5-10 mph below the posted speed limit because neither wants to give up the 2 seconds out of their 11 hours of drive time to simply lift and fall in line behind the other?

How does it look when that elog-equipped truck slams into stopped traffic because the "driver" didn't want to waste any of his 11 by driving slower?

How does it look when that elog-equipped truck is off in the ditch because the driver fell asleep?