Question about EOBR's

I am gathering information for my letter to the fmcsa concerning mandatory eobr's. I have never used one and never want to. I would like to hear all possible ways that you can cheat while using them. We have a Canadian customer that buys one load per week. Occasionally they will order two loads and our company will have an outside carrier with eobr's take a load to the border where our driver takes the load across because they don't have passports. One driver knew he was about an hour short on his driving time of being able to make it to the meeting point. He told our driver that he gained the extra hour by stopping several times for 5 minutes which let him gain about 10 minutes driving time at every stop. Can anyone better explain how he did that as well as tell about other tricks that help you gain time?

 

This driver was using a "black box", not paper logs. He said what he was doing would get him through a roadside inspection, but not an in-house audit. I'm not sure if he knows that, or just thinks that.

Lots of people say "They don't read those letters" or "You are wasting your time". Mark Reddig on Landline Now (OOIDA's radio show) said that the fmcsa is required to read every comment that is sent to them and encouraged people to send in their comments. I have been a member of OOIDA for 17 or 18 years. Many of the members, including me, actually do something about the problems we face besides just whine about it. That is supporting them and is why we have so much influence.

I don't expect to point out something about cheating that they don't know, but as Mark and others have said, if you have facts to back up what you are saying, your letter can make a difference. I am doing research before I even start writing my comment. I did my research before I wrote my comment about the rule changes, which is why several local companies took copies of my letter for their employees and drivers to sign and and send in. People that do nothing but rant get little attention from anyone.

 

For me, it is all about your individual rights. That is OOIDA's main concern also. I always have and always will say the government is sticking their nose where it doesn't belong in this and many other areas. As long as I or anyone else is driving safely, they should just leave us alone. Many companies have gone to EOBR's to keep the government off their back, not because of safety problems. It is a compliance tool, not a safety tool. There are many drivers driving tired instead of resting when they need to just to stay compliant.

I talked to the manager of a 100 truck company nearby that told me exactly that. They have had a very good safety record all along. The only reason they went to EOBR's was to avoid fines if they got audited. He also said it made a very significant drop in their profits when they switched because they couldn't haul near as many loads as before. I spoke with one of their drivers that has been there several years without any tickets. He said his personal income dropped 30% when they switched.

As with everything else concerning the government, they will probably get away with it because most people just sit back and do nothing but whine about it.

Someone will figure out a way to change the records without leaving tracks. It would be illegal, but since when does that stop anyone from doing anything?