How does one "fudge the log"

the same way one goes to jail and loses their license

 

With all that being said, what are you gonna do if something would happen and the driver is legal but forced to run cause of the stupid HOS?

I'm sure you're not going to say..."well he was legal and doing it by the book so it was ok for him/her to drive tired"? I think not!

You by the book folks really need a reality check!

 

I don't get your argument, and it certainly isn't because I'm dumb or inexperienced.

If a drivers gets rest, instead of screwing off during their rest periods...how are they going to be driving tired? No one holds a gun to your head and makes you drive if you've been up all night puking... you call in, get someone else to run it, or reschedule. People CHOOSE to run tired... no one is forced. Your DM starts freaking out, and you contact safety - simple as that.

And, how can ANYONE be forced to run because of the stupid HOS?

 

I'm sure your not stupid, so don't act it! But I can see in your perfect world everyone sleeps when their logbook says too....

I won't waste my time with this as I'm sure most here get the point, sorry if you don't.

 

if they are forced to run, and they are legal to drive, what exactly is the problem?

i dont understand

 

Dude... I've certainly used different crayons in my coloring book... just saying that no one tells me when to drive when I'm tired or sick, not happening.... and we were talking about a guy fudging his logs by 12-15 hours at a time, backsliding them until he showed up where he is NOW... YESTERDAY.... keeps driving.. not cool at all. Pretty ###### stupid, in fact.

I know its stupid because I've done it when I was expediting last year, working for a Canadian company - wait... RJR Transport - who didn't give a rat's arse about who I ran over, since they're not directly responsible for me... I was with a company in Ohio (Freight Relocation Management) and they looked the other way and let their drivers run 4500-5000 miles per week.

I felt tough like an outlaw at first, but soon realized I wasn't making much more money than being a company driver elsewhere... and running scared (of getting caught) all the time... wasn't fun.

So, I think I can call out ANYONE who has been as stupid as I have - one run from Laredo to Gary, IN - straight through - I started seeing spiders on the road... and realized I was being an idiot. I learned from my experiences.

 

Being legal and being safe are exclusive issues. HOS is aimed at ensuring safety through legal means. It doesn't always work out that way.

For instance. I am dispatched on a load that picks up at midnight and delivers 8 hours later. I have enough off-duty/sleeper berth time to run it legally, but simply cannot force myself to sleep adequately during daylight hours. That old Circadian Rhythm thing the legal-eagles so often overlook. Legal? Sure! Safe? Not on your life. Refuse to haul the load and wind up without a pay check for the week. Refuse too many of them and wind up without a job.

Similarly, I ran myself out of my 70. I had a short day last week and am only picking up 4 hours today. I'm well rested because I parked at 8pm last night, went to bed and woke up at around 7am this morning. I have all the energy and alertness I ever could and can run a full 11 hours. Legal, no way! Safe? Absolutely.

The 11/14 clocks were designed with the intent of keeping drivers on line with their Circadian Rhythms. It misses the mark terribly with the lack of flexibility. With more flexibility, a driver can stop those clocks and realign him- or herself with the body's natural schedule. Not all people function at peak levels during the same hours. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach is not the best idea. However, it's all we have to work with.

Les makes a valid point.

 

I never seen it coming and I have more forum experience than many. He never bothered me and I liked him also. I was going to say something in the other thread but they tend to get locked when someone speaks up. Truckers come from all geographical areas and all walks of life. You can't expect them all to act the same way or like you are use to in your world. That's like on Andy Griffin when they made Otis take a bath and wear a suit. It just don't work.

Truck stops and the CB world aren't pretty places sometimes. Trying to hide the real people out there is ludicrous. Let the newbies get a taste of it if you want them to learn how it really is. A real trucker can adapt to all cultures and what comes out their mouth. They say something you don't like, you say something better.

The log thing, the old world is merging into the new world. Everyone knows a logbook doesn't cure when a driver is tired and when a driver is wide awake. A logbook knows nothing about sitting a whole day waiting to get loaded. A logbook knows nothing of perishables and how the truckers work around the packing houses.

Audits are done by time stamps. Figure that part out and you'll figure the rest out. Enough said.

 

Here is what happens, if you keep getting caught with HOS issues the DOT is going to mandate eLogs for your company. Thinking you couldn't make money before, try it after. If your company fails to get results from policies to make you follow your HOS they'll turn to GPS tracking. Learn to run it legal and save yourselves the hassles of trying adapt when change is forced upon.

 

Plain and simple:

Legal does not necessarily equal safe and Illegal does not necessarily equal unsafe.

As far as being forced to run tired even though you are legal to do so, well in some cases you may not be forced in so many words but you could be given the option of keeping your job and running when you are legal to do so or be fired for refusing a load or starved out of miles till you have to find another job. Guess what I think most would run the load if they really need to keep their job and support their family. You of all people should understand that simple logic and know that in this business it happens all the time.