Paper logs vs. electronic logs

Well, that leaves the situation where one is going to have to find a way to make it work or modify what they haul and let those megas deal with it. I am not supporting to abhorring what the situation is, I am only asserting what the facts are we all have to deal with. It is not a fair thing, for sure, but also not one that cannot be overcome. Now that it is here, I am not going to waste time on what caused it, who was to blame, and other stuff that I have no control over.

I saw this kind of thing coming from a long way off, clear back in the 90's. I knew with technology going the way it was, that it was only a matter of time. That is why I started focusing on more regional kind of work and with customers that don't play games like the big box store and grocery food chains. I paid attention to what the blowing in the wind and made changes. There is still time for others to make changes to what they are doing and make it work before the boxes are mandatory. At least there is that silver lining in this mess. Now, how people avail themselves of the time they have, that is for them to decide. It is indeed a rotten hand of cards that have been dealt, now how one plays those cards will decide how they come out in the game.

An old saying still rings true... one can either curse the darkness or light a candle. Every one has to decide for themselves.

 

You don't get it dude. You work for a steering wheel holder company. Your pickups and deliveries are designed to work with your 14 hour clock.

 

Don't ya just love how folks can have such fear for something that they feel the need to use terms like "steering wheel holder company". Now that really is helping folks develop solutions to this problem.

 

I always said I'd NEVER drive with Elogs. Then a couple years my brother went on Elogs and at first he hated it. For years he'd driven like me on paper. After a year or so he was bringing in just as much as me running on paper. And he was comfortable and liked the Elogs. So when we bought my new 680 earlier this year, I said I'd give them a shot. They are the future in one way or another. It's been six months now and I must admit, they are convenient. Plus I've been pulled over a few times or asked to look at log book, say I'm on elogs and they tell me I'm good.

Anyone that says you can't push the boundaries with them is completely talking out the arse. And if anyone says it makes it easier for the company to push you...I just have to say you are the driver of that truck. Not someone in an office somewhere. I do know with Elogs you have to trip plan better and not be screwing around cause you can't fudge the hours like you can on paper. It does screw you more at shippers and receivers cause once you start your clock, there's not ripping up the page and restarting it later.

But as far as money and miles, there's no drop in either. Actually, probably a slight increase. I understand the dislike and distrust of Elogs but overall, I am glad I made the switch. But then again, I don't care what I am on, I will not allow some jackwad in an office somewhere tell me how to operate my truck. I will not be pressured or intimidated by people that have no clue what it is like to live on the road.

 

With an Elog you could wind up out of hours 15 miles from your house on the way home. With paper you could say screw it and drive but with an E-log what can you do?

I run legal 99% of the time but I sure don't want to be in that situation where I have to pull over and stop for ten hours that close to home.

I don't plan on using Elogs when the mandate comes through. There is an exemption where you don't have to do it if you regularly log less than 8 days per month. I think in the last 5 years there has only been a handful of times I had to log over 8 days in a month as most my driving is local with some longer trips mixed in. I plan on trying to stay under that 8 day limit.

 

ELOGS ARE EVIL! Some guy at the TA told me!!! I pushed back on E-logs just like everyone else. I didn't want them. I was gonna make less money. It was gonna suck and I would have to reschedule everything and blah blah blah blah.

2 weeks after being on e-logs, all of that went away. I don't break out in cold sweats when I hit a scale worrying I did something wrong. If you're a productive driver, e-logs won't hurt you one bit. If you aren't, they are gonna suck.

The stories of being 15 miles from home and having to do a ten are ridiculous as well. That doesn't ever happen. I make more money on e-logs because I have more time. That's right. More time. Not less. Since things are in one minute increments instead of 15, you actually gain hours that you were losing before. I get it. It's not for everyone and not for every sector of trucking. But doing it legal has more advantages than not.

 

Going to disagree with you on this one. I ran out of hours 13 minutes from the home yard 3 months ago. I just said screw it and drove on in anyway. It does happen, or certainly can. I ran out of my 14 that night. Most decent companies would probably be okay with that I would think, mine is.

 

Being on e-logs, If I know I am going to be running out of hours before getting home, I have one of several locations I have arranged that I can drop a trailer and bobtail on home off duty. If it is only 5-10 minutes, I don't worry about it. I drive on home anyway. Those kind of things don't happen often enough to make for substantial arguments in the debate. And the most that is going to happen with a couple of minutes over the limit in going home is just a mention of it or a little slap on the wrist. Some of the fear is totally unwarranted.

As I have stated time and time and time again. The e-log cannot force you to drive, and it cannot stop you from driving. For some mysterious reason, some folks have given the ELD boxes a life of their own, as if there is someone in that box that will snap a knot in their butt and call the FMCSA if they violate anything. Folks, they are just recorders. Dumb boxes that only do what they are set up to do. And everything but driving time can be corrected by the driver at will (depending on carrier if they are with one). Y'all have to get off the paranoia bandwagon. No wonder they want sleep studies done on drivers. I am surprised some of you get any sleep at all worrying about this. Sure, they are something new, and folks generally are apprehensive about the unknown, but as one who has been using e-logs for 4 years, I can quantify that most of the fears being bandied around here are totally unwarranted. There are a few legit concerns, but this "if I am 15 minutes from the house and run out of hours" stuff is downright paranoia and stupid. Just go on home. Heck, I do! And I have been audited and not received any citation. I always make a notation as to why I went over a few minutes on the log at the time of the event and forget it.

 

I've run out of time about a dozen times over the last two years within an hour or so of home. I kept on driving and nothing was said. Again I'm on a dedicated and nobody controls my time but myself. I still agree though, irregular route one way van/reefer freight would be a royal PIA with elogs.

I think most companies look at it like this, using myself as an example, in the last year I've had 12 violations on elogs. On paper I would have had "0" but seriously it would be more like 400 on paper. 30 minute breaks....whatever, yea I "took a 30 minute break."