HOS changes and my perspective on EOBR's...

Which is why anything questionable or could bite me, I take a picture of the message on Qualcomm, and they know I do. CYA, always.

 

Difference being edits can be seen. If a dispatcher is 'creating' extra driving time it can be discovered should it need to be found.

 

Truest words of this thread. My company (are are many, I suspect) is staffed by planners that only see one thing: The mathematical equation of miles divided by drivers available hours. Period. No figuring variables. OK....they're not supposed to. Fine. But when a driver points out the flaws of the plan and the potential issues with providing good customer service (which we get pounded into our QCs every week pretty much), we get an argument, namely the classic "the computer says you can do it".

We have all this wunnerful technology and gee-whiz computer crap, but we only have so many people who understand how to apply it all and still work within the (idiotic and archaic) rules, and fewer and fewer of them are in company dispatch and planning cubicles.

And, yes, it's true....they are not above editing for content.

 

mainly ENFORCEMENT and mostly HARRASAMENT !!!

 

So I have one question then. Why is it any different whether one logs via paper or E-logs? It has already been proven that drivers along with the safety of the company can and will "skirt" around either one if they so choose to do. So the bottome line is it just comes down to a preference of which one a company or drivers likes to use. Eobrs might take away the written errors of logging but they still allow drivers to "tweak" and give themselves wiggle room.

 

I just don't understand the reaction to the EOBR thing. I was apprehensive at first when confronted with using one. I had been on paper logs for almost 30 years. After a couple of years on e-logs, I have not had any real issues using one. Sure, there were a few adjustments, but nothing really earth shaking. I didn't take any hit on my productivity or home time. And one can "learn" ways that might be considered "questionable" on using the thing and "tweak" what is being actually recorded. They would pretty much put a stop to running two logs and doing really major fudging of the books, but they are not totally inflexible. The only part that is virtually "written in stone" is when the truck moves. Other than that, it is purely the discretion of the operator what else is being logged. And one can still drive "off duty" per the FMCSA guidelines, just as they do now on paper with no use of available hours. True, some carriers may restrict that use, but it is not because they are required to by regulation.