Paperless logs

the trk is a 07 freightliner on the 7/4 7/3 fleet with the mcp 200
every time we take her out something major happens (electrical problems)
she is ready to go to marshfield for last rites !

 

I guess that is always an option, put it out to pasture... I know when I got hurt in January, I was in the shop almost weekly, with truck and qualcomm problems. They will replace the trucks, someday...

 

I don't get it, QC problems should be an easy fix. It's just a computer that runs a simple program. When they do the fixes are they changing things with the power supply, or the cables on the unit? There really isn't that much to it, ask Brock he probably knows more about what to do to fix them than the techs at any of the shops.

 

yeah its so simple that mine has no voice at all and lastrebels speaks in french.
You are correct about the terminal mechanics having no clue on what to do regarding the mcp 200. Ive even called maint support and all they do is say ( ok driver we will make a notatation of your problem, thank you ) WTH ???

 

The new qualcomm runs microsoft windows, need we say anything more... The OS and the MCP200 software do not play nice together, lots of errors, all the time. Sometimes a simple reboot will fix it, sometimes not. The bottom line, Qualcomm has some serious bugs to work out on a product that is neat, but wasn't ready for market. In everyones rush to implement EOBRS, I don't think enough real world testing was done. Remember EGR valves when they were new...

 

major malfunctions with the mcp 200 this last friday, quallcom had some issues with sending and recieving messeges and hours of service. according to roehl it had nothing to do with roehls system and roehl is hopeing that quallcom can get these
bugs worked out. I got loaded friday and took a ten hour break, in the morning the mcp 200 said my 10 hr break was over, but my watch and cell phone both said two more hours ! I thought about leaving for about one minute and decided it was better to wait. better safe than sorry i always say.

 

From what I understand it was a widespread issue with Qualcomm that effected several companies. I did the reboot the way they suggested and its running fine now.

 

Isn't it nice to know that Qualcomm could shut down a major part of frieght movement in the country... Once we are all off paper logs, and these things all have some sort of major meltdown, then none of us would be able to move. It is too bad that we are such an untrustworthy group that we need EOBR's, speed limiters, side view camaras, and GPS tracking... The drivers that have broken the law and caused these changes to be made, either work for small companies that don't care about HOS rules, or they are O/O that are the same way. It is sad that we all have to pay the price.

 

This incident further illustrates the danger of an over reliance on technology. I'm no Luddite, but when we lose the ability to function without technology, it has become a crutch that cripples us when it fails. If the dispatch system goes down, the entire movement of freight stops. Think about the impact of that on the economy with no backup in place. Want to shut down Pilot? Just take out their computer system, no fuel, no showers, no food. So far all EOBRs really do is record the same information we keep on a paper log.

It concerns me that as technology becomes more invasive in society and young people lose the ability to function without it, we will begin to lose our humanity. I already see an alarming lack of ability to think and reason beyond what is displayed on a computer screen. Grandpa would use a calculator to add figures, then double check the answer with pen and paper, the son would figure with pen and paper and double check his answer with a calculator, the grandson has forgotten how to use pen and paper so when the calculator tells him 12x12 equals 1444 he doesn't know it's the wrong answer.

 

so very true and also so very sad it has come to this ! as a hometime fleet driver i run my paper log along with the eobr logs, so when the computer screws up like it did last friday, im still good to go !