Paperless logs

Not sure if this has been answered correctly or not, since I am no longer employed by Werner, speaking factually is no longer an issue.

1. the paperless log system program Werner uses is so outdated, that it would take the Department of Transportation using a full investigation to terminate and have the program rewritten and updated. Not going to happen.

2. The "computer" logs "on duty, not driving" a driver that is in stop and go, or slow moving traffic.

3. It logs "on duty not driving" when you are in the sleeper, and the wind blows past the qualcom dome, or where-ever the motion sensor is placed. in other words, getting in and out of your truck will change your duty status, even on a restart.

4. It logs you "on duty, not driving" when you are in the sleeper, and the logs department decides to access your records, OR when your team-mate or instructor is Driving.

5. Now that this is understood, the ease of computerization of record keeping was and is, a good idea, it prevented loss of paper logs, incomplete logs (ie. stopping for a pit stop in the middle of nowhere, stopping for any reason), falsification of logs, and time wasted doing unnecessary paperwork under the federal guidelines for paperwork reduction acts, the end result with Werner is just bad implementation of a program that was not designed to work as the computerized tracking system for dispatch, load receivership, vehicle tracking en route, ect. The program is not designed to handle the exemptions such as hazardious travel to a safe destination, while operating under the available 7 hour rules. Those exemtions, while one should call company safety to obtain permission to continue to a safe resting place, ie. out of hours to drive at a shipper/reciever that does not allow drivers to rest on or near the property, the program will automatically flag the vehicles forward or backward motion irreguardless. It will flag, even though it is legal, when in a parking area, to park the truck, even though one is "technically" out of hours to drive.

It is those programming errors, that cause even legal drivers operating with the paperless log system to have criminal behavior, when the behavior was never an FMCSA/DOT violation to begin with.

Am so glad I no longer work for a company, that had me constantly telling the computer, it had incorrectly logged my log book!

 

whups, that 7 should be a 70

 

Little Princess, how long did you work for Werner?

 

Dreaman,
I worked for Werner for 7 months, as an OTR Team driver. My former housemate and myself had originally applied to the company to work as a team. We had personal papers including bank statements stolen off our truck in Denver, CO, and the last 3 months we worked for the company, the safety department kept "losing" our W4 paperwork, it tried to force us to change our AZ residency over to TX, along with attempting to force us to change our CDL's over from AZ to TX. The last 2 weeks, the saafety department, with full knowledge of the "home terminal", conspired to "steal" the truck we were driving While the vehicle was under a live "high value" load. The company, when confronted by the Nebraska unemployment legal representatives, suddenly changed it's story about my team-mate and I "stealing the truck, stealing high value items off the truck and selling them". The police report, fuel lane video tapes, and the recorded conversations between the police, us, and Werners own employees, did not support the "official cover Werner's (blank)" statements in court.

Needless to say, we were terminated. Our DACs report that the situation was "not Driver Preventable". Am still out of work, lost everything, and now am having to request Emergency Homeless Assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs, in AZ. The state of AZ worked with NB to at least get us unemployment. What really pissed me off, is that Werner knew we both refused to move to TX, and it had a terminal in AZ, that it could have transferred us to, and did not. The final straw, for my housemate, he lost his home and property in Tuscan, where he has lived for 5 yrs.

The final straw for me, Werner is just as bad, if not worse than, Fast Foods Express, to work for. Yet because I am not long in returning to the work force as a returning to the workforce individual, (divorces do that) I do not have the experience to get rehired, as I would have, if I had been driving "for Pay" for 3 or more years.

No-one will hire me, especially after talking to my last 2 employers, despite my credibility, safety record overall as a responcible driver with a liscense to drive a vehicle both inside and outside the US, standard, cdlC, and now, a cdlA.

Sorry, did not mean to write a book. Hope this does not get deleted.

Have a nice Day.

 

The other way to see it is as more carriers start to use the electronic logs the true cost of moving freight will become apparent. This can mean higher rates which can be passed down to the drivers in order to attract better quality people into the industry.

Eventually people will figure out the more they cheat the books the more they are screwing themselves.

 

I would hope so. But I believe the trend will indeed increase the cost of the freight, but not trickle to the driver who is now being strictly limited on the run and will cause them to have fewer miles.

I ran legal in the big truck and always had dispatch pushing hard on the runs that would not allow the truck to stop to take a leak, let alone eat or shower.

 

Just a suggestion, it's harvest season. If you don't mind pulling a hopper in and out of fields and living in a camper for the summer, the pay is decent and it does count as driving experience. Those guys will be happy to have a driver that speaks english. Pretty sure it's enough to get on with someone like Melton (they require 3 months in the past 4 months but that's about it.)

 

Little Princess,
Sorry to hear of your nightmare. Things will turn around, just remember things can happen to you or you can make things happen. I know it isn't easy right now but persistance will pay off. Keep your head up and eyes open. I wish you the very best of luck.

 

Road Medic,
Lordy don't I know about running legal, while wondering how in the world we crossed the US from CA to MA in 4 days ^.^ I can tell you where we started, where we stopped, but don't ask whats between ^.^

KajiDono,
If someone would hire a driver without hopper experience, I would have tried, and Melton refused to hire me, or anyone, out of AZ.

Thank you Dreaman! It is most appreciated!!!

(finds GearJamminGold on live365 and enjoys truck'n music ) yeah! you aint driving unless you got blazing smokestacks (or are those blown turbo's?

 

Guy hired me without hopper exp. I mean it's not hard, his wife does it with a 2 year old in one arm. The tarp is on top, the door is on the bottom. I know the name of one that had trucks sitting last year in western Nebraska, but they looked kind of local. There's a much larger one out of South Dakota that needed drivers to haul the combines and stuff around for them as well as the hoppers, they work all over. These companies are shipping guys (and girls) in to work for them from Ukraine or Romania. The guys I worked with were from South Africa (nice guys). All travel paid.

It's mostly local work except when moving equipment or the whole crew to a new site, but it's good work. Lots of friendly farmers and town folks to meet, hang out or have dinner with, somebody always comes up with fresh pheasant or venison, etc. I liked it, was good for a temp job (I got hired on at the end of the season and went back to flatbedding when I got laid off).