Electronic Logs are a Joke

anyone believing they wont be in every truck someday
if that is what the goverment wants is fooling themselves
every independent commercial fisherman said this for years
now every boat is tracked all over the country in Gloucester mass
like air traffic controllers
from the 30 foot lobster boat in a cove in Booth Bay Me
to a factory boat out on the Bering sea

 

Anyone whinning about how bad elogs are, try them first. Can't come on here and say my brother said this or some driver at the petro lunch counter said that...that is bs and lame...try them first then run your mouth until then just shut it.

 

There is no question in my mind--all this is coming-maybe sooner than later(time will tell)and just like every other new deal in this and any other industry--it will be dealt with one way or the other...
My ONLY problem with this--is it is really just another attempt by big business to KILL the competition--which frankly was just what de reg was about(as predicted by many of the generation before me at the time)....
Look at who is pushing the e-log--tracking--speed limiters etc....under the guise of safety--and while i Strongly feel there will ALWAYS be a need--for smaller more specialized carriers/companies in this biz....The key here(before implementation)is to find SOME way to mitigate the cost involved...and give options...and while I am not now--nor ever was or will be--an advocate for big government...this is one of those cases--we must ALL push our representatives to force passage(along with rule implementation)of some type of cost relief to small business...If they can give Exxon MASSIVE tax relief while they rake in More $$$$$ than the govt can PRINT--they can #### sure allow some type of tax abatement for the cost of installing/using this soon to be mandated devices....
Since the large carriers pushing for this--have already invested in this technology--which if any of you think these devices were EVERY installed for safety in the first place---PLEASE put the glass of KOOL AID down,,,
Also before any of y'all want to get into the new/old skool argument with me---understand--I have NO dog in this hunt--I personally care about this issue about as much as I care about the weather in the Yukon....I may still be doing this for awhile after they(the govt)sort this all out and make a rule....but I have no intention at being at this all that much longer anyway...

 

e logs are not the problem really. the 14 hour rule is

 

Have used elogs and paper logs and elogs are both better, easier, and more accurate.
It's easier to screw up paper logs in several ways, either jiggling reality to "log it legal" or just plain old making a mistake, brain-fart error.
Most employers who run paper have a culture of "make it work," which defeats the purpose of limiting a driver's hours in the first place. For example squeezing a 6.5-hour run into a 5.5 hour time slot on the log. You can log at 60 mph and be DOT compliant, but everybody knows a truck doesn't go from zero to 60 mph instantaneously and from 60 mph to zero instantaneously, mainly because everyone knows a trip in a truck usually averages around 45 mph.
Paper logs are the joke and everybody is in on it, wink-wink.

Elogs are easier and more efficient for the driver.

The only snag is that most companies that run elogs are losing about 18 percent of drive time as opposed to paper logs. Yes, people cheat on paper logs that much. Shocking, right?
Elogs are going to gut and fillet the companies that depend on janking paper logs to squeeze in their trips and maximize their hours and revenue. All I can say to them is: Too bad, so sad...

 

You need to read what I said. Never once did I said not under dispatch or unladen. I'm not that stupid, thank you very much. Read what I wrote, smart guy. I know you are allowed certain instances where you can drive off duty. But not while you are heading to get a load or heading to deliver a load. I didn't just start doing this yesterday so before you go dogging on me and what I said, maybe you should read what I was saying. Do your research.

 

It's amazing how people jump to defend E Logs but do not read what people actually are saying. Simply amazing.

 

Exactly. The little man is the one that is going to be getting the shaft. No one cares about that though who defends elogs. They just think that everyone is complaining and knocking elogs because we are ignorant or have never used them etc.... Bunch of baloney. It's the owner ops out there that are fighting to get by, pinching pennies etc... that are going to be getting screwed over here because these big companies need these elogs. Let them have them but forcing it upon every truck out there is over reaction.

 

What would you replace the 14 hour rule with?

 

Keep the 14 hrs but return the ability to stop the clock when you go off duty like it used to be with the old 15 hr system.

It's the "tick tock, don't stop" 14 hr clock that is unsafe and unproductive.