Honest logs

Cheating on your logs, don´t know. I can tell you what happened to me when I got caught not doing them at all though.

Crossed a state line, Coop was open.

Hadn´t touched my log book in 3 days, blank pages. Got up on the scales, no problem I thought. Real light load, I had checked all my lights heading out, truck & trailer real clean, etc.

EEK!

Got the signal to pull around back.

You´re kidding me.

Had my log book out up on the wheel trying to figure something out even before I came to a stop. Sat there about a minute working, as long as I thought I could get away with. Taking too long, wasn´t gonna happen.

Went in, put my things up on the counter. He said the reason he stopped me is because the state tax sticker on my truck was expired.

I told him something like ¨Oh ok, I´m just a company driver and don´t really know about that.¨

Then he opened my log book.

Flipped to my last logged page. Turned the page. Blank. Looked at me, next page. Blank. Next page. Blank. I think I had filled in the dates before coming in.

So, I´m standing there like a dummy.



He took out his pad of paper, wrote me up a fine for the expired tax sticker. (that the company paid) He handed my things back and said...

¨Catch up on your log book before leaving¨

¨Thanks a lot¨

Now he could have came down on me very hard, but, he didn´t. I got extremely lucky. I wouldn´t say try that stunt and wouldn´t do it again either.

 

I log legal. I also log exactly as it happens. The only thing I don't log is if my "potty" break takes less than 7 minutes. You'd be surprised how fast I can run into a truckstop.

 

Hang on hoss, wait till you hit the road and see what legal logging is all about.

Let me give you an example of a "not-so" legal log.

You hit the dock at 6am bright and early. Through no fault of your own you are forced to wait till noon to get unloaded. What time are you going to start your 14 hour clock, 6am?

Nope, don't think so. No trucker in their right mind is going to start their 14 hour clock at 6am. You start it at noon, otherwise you just lost half a days wages/driving time.

So now you're unloaded and 6 hours into your legally logged day, and you have made $ZERO$ dollars for the day since your company doesn't pay you to unload. Now your dispatcher sends you on a short 50 mile dead head (if they pay you dead head miles) to go get your next load. You run those 60 miles, and log it as one hour driving time. Whooopie, you get lucky, and your in and out of the shipper in 2 hours. So... You've ran a grand total of 50 miles for $20 or $25, and "IF" you logged it legal you're now into your 9th hour for the day, and you only have 5 hours of trucking left for your legal day.

Another day another way you find yourself on the NJ turnpike heading for NYC on a mothers day. Traffic sucks, its bumper to bumper, and you only have 100 miles to go out to Long Island. Thing is you've been on the turnpike for 6 hours, and it was only a 100 mile trip to start with. How ya gonna log that? Legally you can log it in two hours? You gonna waste your 70 hour rule and show 6 hours? LOL hell no, you're gonna show two hours on your log book. Otherwise you just made about $30 for six hours of work! You'll log it 2 hours, and show the other hours either off duty or in the sleeper. THATS THE WAY REAL TRUCKING WORKS!

I could come up with a million billion zillion different analogies of why and how we are forced to run illegally. It all sucks, it isn't fair, company drivers work their ##### off for very little $$$. But if you want a pay check that's what you do.

In no way do I condone guys that pop pills, and run a thousand miles down the road with out bunk time. But, as a trucker you are forced to squeeze that log book here and there, and do what you gotta do or get used to bringing home paychecks for $250 a week.

Don't think for one second that you will EVER run totally legal. That's not the way the system works. You'll start early in the morning, you'll blow right past your old "8 hour shift, factory job", and you'll get used to 15 to 18 hour days will become your reality.

 

You couldn't have said it better - Very refreshing to see the truth for a change.

 

Your working for the wrong company if you have to run illegal to make money. If you have an accident and are not supposed to be there you will be at fault no matter who caused the accident. Every trucking company out there is one major accident away from being out of buissness. Log it as it happens.

 

I would say the number is around 90% give or take a bit. The company will always tell you that they expect you to run legal. But the company is an abstract concept. On the other hand, the dispatcher is a real live person. And that real live person want their loads delivered and often doesn't care what you have to do in order to get it done it as long as you get it done. If you get caught running illegal, you are the one who will hang for it, not the disatcher and every dispatcher knows this.

 

Post number 6 is the correct answer.............

You won't last out here if you can't be creative !!!!!

That is the only truth about logging !!!!!!

 

I know if I stop 10 driver's a day for an inspection I'll get 3 or 4 a day for a false log book. They are the ones holding the bag, the ticket, and the 10 hours in the out of service lot. The company or dispatcher, just sends another truck to pick up their trailer to get the load delivered.

 

I knew there had to be an honest person here that wouldn't do anything for a buck...You're a credit to the industry...