ELD rule drops this month, ATA exec says

And that was it was all about to begin with. They just played the Bill Clinton "It's for the children" safety crap to get traction in congress. Is just another scam, and the FMCSA is always chomping at the bit to come up with more regulations, so the ATA had a willing accomplice.

 

Is there any comparative safety data between paper logs and e-logs? Not compliance, safety, i.e. crash data.

 

Just the daily news. Whenever you hear about a crash it is 90% of the time an ATA carrier with a governed truck on Elogs.

 

Because it has taken so long to write the rule, which has been promised and delayed dozens of times (it was mandated in the STAA reauthorization in the 1990's) there is now a body of statistical data that may show the ineffectiveness of ELD's to improve safety. These things are going to come, after several court challenges I suspect which will delay them even further.
The ELD is not the culprit. It is the underlying HOS rules, which are going to come under greater scrutiny. The FMCSA is already granting HOS waivers to various parts of the industry, look for that trend to continue.

 

Hawk, that is my strong suspicion, that forced compliance (combined with minute to minute driver monitoring) with HOS decreases safety. i would love to see the real world numbers.

 

Problem is the 14 hour clock duh it's so easy to figure out when I'm tired I'm pulling over and taking a nap which is why the whole eld thing can kiss my *** and why I don't believe it will ever become law.People need to eat and doing ltl reefer stores would be empty without paper logs.

 

But I doubt it was any issue because of e-logs. Most of those carriers have the bulk of their drivers with limited experience. The causation was probably due to driver error and not a log.

As for the 14 hr rule thing and taking a nap, I have no problem within the 14 taking a nap if I need to and still drive the 11 hrs I am allowed. There are 3 hrs to play with in that 14 that will not affect driving time at all. And if you take a 2 hr nap, when you reach the 11 hr driving limit, you only need an 8 hr instead of a 10 hr sleeper break to be compliant to move again. I realize that math is not everyone's cup of tea, but it is logical to assume that most people know that 14 minus 11 is 3, and that is the number of hours one can play with one way or the other inside the 14 hr rule to pull off a full 11 hrs driving.

As for making sure people eat, well, then I guess it will take another truck to get things done. Routes will have to be changed to match e-log use. As for it not happening, the FMCSA has been tasked by Congress to implement the e-log thing. One can bellyache about it, blame ATA if they want, but the Congress has made it mandatory for FMCSA to implement this. One can either learn to live with it and make it work, or not. I don't like it any more than anyone else. But the best time to get on top of this is before any mandate deadline. Folks had better learn ways to make it all work, while they are still on paper and have time, than burying their head in the sand and waiting for someone to come along and kick them in the butt.

 

Don't believe that the 14 hour "running" clock prevents you from pulling over when tired and I posted in another thread that shows since 2009 truck accidents is on the rise.

 

What really gets me is if this is for safety at any level, why isn't there a push to limit the speed of cars but more importantly push hard to get buses like tour, private charter and school, under control. I have been passed by buses like greyhound going 75 many many times and school buses too.

 

This is the same flawed logic that stuck us with this mess. Sure, it might work out fine for somebody pulling a dry box who does drop & hooks with 1500+ mile average hauls. Most of my hauls, though, are less than 300 miles, and EVERY one of them requires my attention...even if I'm hooking to a preloaded trailer that is allegedly tarped, strapped, and "ready to roll". I don't pull it until I am satisfied it will arrive at the destination safely in the same condition it left the shipper. So I might need an hour on this end, and perhaps another hour on the other end to pull the tarps off and back it in before I drop and hook to an empty...and then another hour or two to get reloaded elsewhere for the return trip. I load & unload every day...sometimes multiple times...and that 14 hour clock is running. #### that 14 hour clock. If I'm needing something at a store I'll be rolling past on my way home, I'm going to save time and fuel by stopping when I'm rolling past the store...NOT drive all of the way home, get in my pickup, drive the hour or so back to the store, do my shopping, then drive home again. If that stop places me over the 14 hour rule, #### the 14 hour rule. The 20-30 minutes I just ran over just saved me 3+ hours and 130 miles on my personal vehicle when I'm supposed to be on my 10 resting. #### the 14 hour rule. Your math might work for you in your own little world, but in the real world it just doesn't add up. That's the problem with bureaucrats, and my dad had the same complaints about architects and engineers, too. ANYTHING can be made to look good on paper. In a practical application, it isn't so easy. #### the 14 hour rule.