E-log users love it or hate it

I have been using one for almost 3 years now. No real complaints, and in many respects, actually like it handling all the details for me including my IFTA information. I would never sit 40 miles from the house just because the machine says I am out of hours. I have set up several areas around me that I can drop a trailer safely and bobtail on home on OFF DUTY DRIVING if it comes down to being able to get home or not. Have done it numerous times. And, fortunately, the customers I have to deal with that will not allow overnight parking at them is few and far between, so that I hardly ever have to start the day out running over to them to get unloaded. Most times, my clock doesn't start till I am about ready to leave after getting unloaded or loaded.

When things are well structured and the folks in the office know how to manage trucks and freight, it works out pretty good. Those that seem to have the most difficulty with e-logs are usually the carriers that haven't got their act together anyway. The e-log is not the problem, the carrier is. Unfortunately, the driver has to suffer until that carrier gets it's stuff together. The e-log just exposes bad management. And for those little issues that can eat up time, there are ways to make the e-log play in your favor when you know how to use them. Just like with paper, you have to learn to be creative when it comes to e-logs. Just another way to skin the cat.

 

Back back back its gone great post cowpie awesome post all about team work ......

 

I tend to agree with Cowpie1, eLogs aren't the issue it's management (for the most part). Delays at customers can certainly be an issue as well, but drivers that are unwilling to follow regulations are also a major issue. Log falsification is rampant with eLogs and for the most part it can easily be figured out. There are several ways to fool the eLogs into showing a complete break when in fact there should be drive time or on duty time. While drivers think that they are helping the customer, company, or themselves, they're really just painting themselves into a corner in the event of an accident. I see this all the time and I could put together a compelling case against several drivers that have had elog "failures".

 

I absolutely love e-log truck. I wouldn't have it any other way. Drivers complain about getting miles with elog trk my low average is 2700 the highest is 3700 it would have been more than that if I could have delivered my load early. And as far as beating elog done that 2

I had 2 deliver in san antonio I had 11mi to destination I had 7 minutes on my clock so I stopped for 5 min let my trk switch me over 2 off duty. When it did I put my flashers on I rolled about 10mph for about 7mi I had my whole off duty clock. When I made it 2 my destination I had 4 min 2 spare . My trk never switched me over 2 driving. It took me a hour to drive them 7 miles. Spent the nite there 4 my morning delivery. just 1 time have others

But I love it when I have roadside inspections I get out faster

 

I've been avoiding them like the plague because of I've heard about them but I've been on Qualcomm's website and watching youtube videos about them and really they actually don't seem to be so bad. Keeping you from making costly mistakes on your logs would be great, you just have to better manage your time. As for being stuck away from home a few miles, well, I wouldn't complain because your home time won't start until you get there so what are you really loosing. Its not enough time vs money to make much of a difference. I like the time feature that tells you how many hours you have left of your day week and 34 restart. I think it would allow me a little extra time for other thing rather than counting and adding/subtracting lines and numbers plus hand filling a new log everyday with the same info that has to been entered on every log so that can save up to 10-15 minutes a day. Then the fact that it actually logs by the minute and not in 15 minute increments so if it only took you 6 minutes to fuel then thats all it will log vs the 15 minutes that has to be shown unless you got less the 50 gallons. Time saver. Plus all the other bells and whistles that come with the premium package, like the truck diagnostic feature, fuel consumption/driver habits, gps, google earth for trip planning into a customer(with wifi) plus the ability to attach a scanner and printer to print logs for DOT, and send rate confirmations and paperwork between shippers, receivers and brokers right from the truck without having to stand in line waiting to send a fax or even track down and drive to such location. To me it seems like it would reduce a lot of headache and stress and maximize time during the day. I'm seriously considering it. I'm just trying to weigh the cost againest about how long it would take to pay for itself.

I'm starting to see now thats theres no difference between elogs and paper because if your running legal then they are going to show the same. I have family as well but we are truck drivers and this is the profession we chose so if your 50 miles from home and you have to shut down and your complaining about it then maybe this isn't the right job for you. Its only part of the job and that extra 50 miles could make all the difference if you make it home alive or not be it being tired or avoiding that accident caused by someone else because in the morning you wake up and truck the last 50 miles and drive by that accident after the road was closed all night, you'll be thanking yourself "man am I glad I decided to wait because that could have been me!".

 

that's exactly what I'm talking about, what you probably don't know is that your truck records GPS positioning on every change of duty status and will also track your miles without hours. Both items can be very damning in the wrong circumstance. Not to mention how completely unsafe it is to do that. the better choice is log the 7 minutes of violation correctly. It's much easier to defend an action like that than it is to explain the falsification of your logs and the unsafe act used to do it.

 

Oh, and it doesn't matter if your running paper or elogs, those who complain they can't get enough miles and such should try keeping that left door shut more often and not hit every other truckstop they see. This is a job, not a sight seeing tour. Just think, if you work a 9-5 in a factory, does the boss allow them to sit down and take a break when they want?

 

I was told by my dm if my truck was pinging on san antonio if I move my trk a inch or a mile it's still gonna show san antonio. They tell u that 2 scare u.

 

I work in logs, it goes like this:

[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD="class: itmevds, bgcolor: #F0F0FF"] Sleeper berth[/TD]
[TD="class: itmdlt, align: right"]0:09:04[/TD]
[TD="class: itmcdt"]11/19/13 07:10:23[/TD]
[TD="class: itmldt"]11/19/13 07:10:23[/TD]
[TD="class: itmloc, bgcolor: #FFFFF0"]+42.481N -92.451W 2.4 Miles S of Cedar Falls, IA[/TD]
[TD="class: itmnote"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmloc, bgcolor: #FFFFF0"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmcby"]Driver[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: itmevds, bgcolor: #F0F0FF"] Driving[/TD]
[TD="class: itmdlt, align: right"]0:25:45[/TD]
[TD="class: itmcdt"]11/19/13 07:36:08[/TD]
[TD="class: itmldt"]11/19/13 07:36:08[/TD]
[TD="class: itmloc, bgcolor: #FFFFF0"]+42.481N -92.451W 2.4 Miles S of Cedar Falls, IA[/TD]
[TD="class: itmnote"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmloc, bgcolor: #FFFFF0"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmcby"]Driver[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: itmevds, bgcolor: #F0F0FF"] On duty[/TD]
[TD="class: itmdlt, align: right"]0:17:57[/TD]
[TD="class: itmcdt"]11/19/13 07:54:05[/TD]
[TD="class: itmldt"]11/19/13 07:54:05[/TD]
[TD="class: itmloc, bgcolor: #FFFFF0"]+42.460N -92.252W 0.4 Miles W of Elk Run Hei..., IA[/TD]
[TD="class: itmnote"] FUEL[/TD]
[TD="class: itmloc, bgcolor: #FFFFF0"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmcby"]Driver[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: itmevds, bgcolor: #F0F0FF"] Off duty[/TD]
[TD="class: itmdlt, align: right"]0:22:44[/TD]
[TD="class: itmcdt"]11/19/13 08:16:49[/TD]
[TD="class: itmldt"]11/19/13 08:16:49[/TD]
[TD="class: itmloc, bgcolor: #FFFFF0"]+42.459N -92.252W 0.4 Miles W of Elk Run Hei..., IA[/TD]
[TD="class: itmnote"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmloc, bgcolor: #FFFFF0"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmcby"]Driver[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: itmevds, bgcolor: #F0F0FF"] Driving[/TD]
[TD="class: itmdlt, align: right"]0:18:56[/TD]
[TD="class: itmcdt"]11/19/13 08:35:45[/TD]
[TD="class: itmldt"]11/19/13 08:35:45[/TD]
[TD="class: itmloc, bgcolor: #FFFFF0"]+42.459N -92.253W 0.5 Miles W of Elk Run Hei..., IA[/TD]
[TD="class: itmnote"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmloc, bgcolor: #FFFFF0"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmcby"]Driver[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: itmevds, bgcolor: #F0F0FF"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmdlt, align: right"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmcdt"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmldt"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmloc, bgcolor: #FFFFF0"][/TD]
[TD="class: itmnote"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


Yeah, they don't say that to scare you it's accurate.

 

For once we agree....... Just drive it , limping around is nuts!

I've been looking around for an eobr for my truck.....and I hate technology . So it's not going well .