E-logs

What type of elogs? Qualcom peoplenet something else?

 

Heavyhaul, I've been on e-log for almost 4 years. It's a love hate relationship. What I like about them it's automatic. Once I log on duty for the day, I can just forget about it till I log off duty. If I need to go back and change any of the on duty time to off duty I can, driving either off duty( bobtailing personal use) or on duty I can't, for that must go through safety to change. Dot checks, Normally are non excistant. Occaisionally I'll just have a DOT officer ask for my on duty status, which I show him, then he says, have a nice day. There's no mistakes in calculating hours, no nothing.

What I hate, There are days where I am picking up and delivering the same day, with another pickup afterwards. Most of your driving time will be used up loading and unloading. Chances are I'll miss that last pick up, so I'll sit there till the next day to get it. Of course less miles driven for the day. Being regional here in the northeast, it is very difficult to find any parking after 1600. So I end up where ever I can legally and safely park. Of course no comfort facilities. There are days I cannot even find the time to slide by a truckstop for a shower or a decent meal, (not that truck stops serve decent meals,lol).

Bottom line I have to plan my day from start to finish. I also have a plan B, just in case. Most of the time it's no problem. I will discuss with your safety department about unloading or loading at accounts that will not let you stay on premisis. Meaning, you go in to an account with 4 or 5 hours left of your day to load or unload. They chew up you time and then tell you to leave. Now with no hours you must leave the property. We are allowed to send free form message the circumstances, which allows us to get to a safe haven with out penalty. Safety then prints out that message and puts it into our file. We have been audited twice by fed and state. They will accept this, actually a statement made by one inspector was, " Parking on shoulders of the road or on, off ramps is unexceptable for any reason".

There's alot more, if you think of a question, I can give you an answer. Just can't think of everything you might want to know. Once you get use to them, like me I think overall you will like them.

 

Your regular shorthaul runs it should not hamper you too much as long as they are good about loading/offloading. You get home every night and turn less than 400 miles a day, right? What will make it a pain is starting your day, no messing around time it right and get it all done. If you can use a computer you can do electronic logging it's really not that difficult. I never used them but did look at a few in the company trucks of my previous carrier and my qcomm at that time was the newest set up to do it,just not activated. Nothing to get intimidated over.

 

Understood, I'd be the same way. Can you manage to get that run finished in 14 hours on a bad day is the only question. If so keep on trucking.

 

I swore years ago I would never work for a company that ran e logs, but I
will be the first to admit I have grown to really like them now. On a good day I can run over 700 miles if the moon and stars all align. I still average 3200/3500 miles a week and thankfully our company doesn't deal with customers that make us sit.

 

like jseney12078 and runningman0661 said,

I am a high tech guy, I like all the toys no more writing and filling out logbooks, this is a huge plus, Just push buttons. And Does all my fuel tax Miles for the states I'm running in.

At first, it took me about four days then I found all the shortcomings to the system.

 

My slog is on a Blackberry. It reads the ECM, plus It has GPS. It's great having it switch you from off duty , to driving , automatically. Downside , the co. I'm leased to can see everything I do. Exceed the co. speed limit , I get an email. They can actually watch your truck , going down the road. Do a lane change , they see it.
1984 is here , with a vengeance !
Good Luck!