Old school versus Elogs

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by rcelmo, Sep 25, 2015.

  1. rcelmo

    rcelmo Medium Load Member

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    I am an old school paper logs driver.How do the Elogs compare?
    How often do you get in trouble with these?
    How hard should I try to stay with a paper log company?

    Just want to here from some of you that have experienced both.
     
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  3. 25(2)+2

    25(2)+2 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    Not done the elogs but know some that have, one of them came back, and the other one who I talk to often has the issue of the criteria being set extremely tight, as in no leeway at all.. The one who came back has had more than 1 experience.

    Others claim they do well with them. I'm avoiding them for as long as I can myself.
     
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  4. xsetra

    xsetra Road Train Member

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    Its a dying question. Most likely won't have much choice in a couple years. I'll stay with paper as long as I can also.
     
  5. flyingmusician

    flyingmusician Road Train Member

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    Not an issue for me being on elog most days but some days it truly sucks. I ran my first year and first truck on paper

    I routinely run 3000-3200 a week but it does take very good trip planning to maximize your time.

    I'm home every weekend and the worst part for me is more times than not I could have been home Friday night on paper but now I get in on Saturday morning.

    I run it tight but I've only had 3 violations in 4 1/2 years. All under 15 minutes. Nobody's ever said a word to me about it.

    I'd love to have the 'flexibility' of being on paper but being on the box hasn't hurt my miles or money a bit

    I will add the disclaimer that I run for a private fleet and the load planning is much better than when I was at a medium sized common carrier training. Big difference between the 2 and how well they're run and loads are planned. At the previous company I'd never see the miles or money I see here just due to the larger number of trucks and much poorer load planning there than where I am now
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2015
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  6. PackRatTDI

    PackRatTDI Licensed to Ill

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    I've run this trip pretty much as if I was on elogs. Thats why I'm having to reset in Dickson, TN.
     
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  7. rcelmo

    rcelmo Medium Load Member

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    Thanks for the replies.

    Seems to me the companies will force more load relays.
    Every time I do a relay I end up waiting for the other driver to show up.

    Want about 2AM Grocery warehouse loads? Doesn't that screw up
    the 10Hr clock?

    Stop for the night at a good truckstop, but dispatch says you have an Hour
    left, use it. Seems the micro-managing will get much worse.
     
  8. 25(2)+2

    25(2)+2 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    My friend still running them uses split breaks fairly often, and he pulls specialized dry van regionally.

    It hurts short haul and multiple pickup and drop more than truckload OTR. Would really not work well with the long distance shag runs like I usually do. I use split breaks on paper because of the odd timing and not sleeping when I'm tired. Relays are a pain, but sometimes needed. No 0200 for me for a long time, but it might be 0dark30,before the sun comes up, or 11 PM or midnite.
     
  9. PackRatTDI

    PackRatTDI Licensed to Ill

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    I don't think a transition to e logs will hurt most of our runs except for Protrans runs where they expect delivery yesterday and the ######## short hauls they get us to move from one point to the other when in the northeast.
     
  10. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    You at the Flying-J?
     
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  11. TLeaHeart

    TLeaHeart Road Train Member

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    Having been on elogs and driving refer, those 2am grocery appointments were no problem. Actually the elogs make keeping track of legal hours doing the split sleeper much easier. And many of those grocery drops, I just went to sleep at, as I would be there fore 8 to 10 hours anyway. Averaged 3000 miles per week, same as I did on paper.

    Also ran e logs in the oil field, yea, strange company, but again it was never a problem, and I got to the point I really liked it, has all I had to do was log in, do my pretrip, and forget about it.Stop to load or unload, it switches you to on duty... get done loading, drive, it switches you to drive.
     
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