More on Swift E-Logs

I was put into a different truck recently, no not a new one, just new to me, and it came with the dreaded "New Quallcomm". I was in the truck a few days before I was able to take the class so I had plenty of opportunity to play with the thing. I couldn't get into the HOS part because I had not taken the class, but I did go through the training on the unit, several times. Overall first impression was not bad at all. The macros are easy to follow and you can scroll to the one you need fairly quickly and highlight it with a touch of your finger. The touchpad keyboard is a bit quirky and sensitive, typos are easy to make and fix. I have tried to reconfigure the touchscreen several times for finger placement, it gets slightly better each time.

The HOS section is a breeze to use as far as your logging goes. I have not tried to edit any yet because I think I am restricted somehow, but I haven't really needed to edit any yet, as far as I know. There is a drop down menu for descriptions of the more common tasks, pre trip, post trip, fuel, etc. I think they need a drop - hook added in there.

Someone posted that the 7/8 s of a mile traveled puts you on the drive line is a rumor, that is absolutely correct. I roamed all over the Sealy Walmart DC at yard speed for a total of 4 miles or so, and it kept me off duty while I was looking for that perfect empty trailer.

It keeps up with your 70, 14, and 11 hour clocks. It shows you miles traveled which interestingly is over what the odometer shows by several miles. It keeps up with daily hours used driving and hours used working not driving.

It DOES do split sleeper and lets you know how many hours you have to drive after the split. On a different screen you can see how many hours you have total to do the driving, say 4 hours drive time with 5 hours to do it. That was cool since I needed to split for the first time in 5 years of driving and it was easy despite my worries that I would screw it up

Something I found by accident; in the top right corner of the screen is a little clock that counts down the hours left to drive, and has DOT by it so you know it is driving hours. If you finger push that clock it will turn to an actual digital clock with the correct time of day for your terminal. When driving the screensaver in the HOS section displays a larger count down timer with hours left to drive displayed.

As far as the GPS, it is ok, I prefer my own so I don't even use the one on the unit, but it does have a few features that enhance parts of the screen.

Be aware that the new One Plus program being put into effect will actually look at your logs to determine your actual arrival times. You are given a next load assignment that may have a window for delivery say from 0200 til 1030. When you get the actual load asssignment, that delivery window now has a set time that Swift will insist is your appointment time. I argued for well over an hour that I accepted a load based on the window and it was not didpatched as I needed it to be. I lost the arguement, but gave them the old Mac22 and had it my way in the end.

All in all I think I will like it, some won't, buts that's ok too.

Sorry for being a bit long winded, I tried to keep it as brief as I could, there is lots more I left out for sure.

 

Yeah, it does speak a strange dialect of English. It will tell you on it's own when a new message arrives, but you decide when you want it to try and read the message.

EDIT: It is wired to the radio speaker closest to the driver, in the Volvo for instance the one on top of the dash left side. It completely takes over that speaker when talking, but then kind of lets it fade back to the radio when She ( they named the voice Jill) is done talking. I wish I had that feature for my wife sometimes.

 

I am still using paper, they claim that after 8 days the two systems, paper and e-logs, should be the same. In my case there is enough of a difference that I won't feel comfortable myself until I have done a 34...just happen to have the weekend off. Celebrating 35 years of bliss with my bride. Then I should be paperless. By the way you are required to keep at least a weeks worth of empty paper logs as a back up if the E logs go down for some reason.

Just adding that the actual use of the log system is real easy, just tap the screen a time or three and you have logged that duty change. Like Iron Pony said, do it right away, get in the habit of doing it as soon as you stop. I go right to off duty, then decide how I will log what needs to happen next after talking to security or rec office.