Sign the petition on the new elog mandate!

How did I get into yet another elog thread? Last time..Last post from me concerning this. I was going to post something to the effect 'I don't understand why some of you on elogs cant be honest as if given a choice,I bet you would opt for paper' unless of course some on this thread have trouble with basic arithmetic-which is possible I suppose...

And then...the previous posters spelled it out quite well about the monster called elogs and so...soon....each of us must make a decision as to what to "do". I understand Trucking will survive quite well without me however-I can also say the same..I will be quite OK without "it". Candy-###? Nope. Smart? Yup. After elogs are in place I'm rather sure cameras in the cab will be next on the agenda..Rinse and repeat. Some will sing their praises and some will not. All depends how one is put together or if in fact..They have other options. But the camera issue is of course another thread-probably 200 of em-a-comin..

Anyone can justify anything they do..or anything they don't do. At the end of the day..Do what is right for you..

 

Don't get us started on the #### cameras. That's another can-o-worms.

"The line must be drawn here, this far, no farther." -Picard

 

Then what in the world do you want to support e-logs for? Changes to hard copy logs are obvious. Edited e-logs look like originals on a roadside inspection's 8-day fax, idk about the 6 month inspection DOT does at the company when they audit all drivers.

E-logs are a corporate tool, they do NOTHING to help drivers that are old enough to wipe their own ###.

 

elogs are easier to use. For the most part 'ya just let it go and at the end of the day you review and modify (if necessary) and approve.

As long as the driver has full control over the editing just like they would paper logs it will work. No company editing.

No drawing lines and figuring out where you were every place during the day.

Some GPS's will perform e-logging. Whether they are sufficient for dot scrutiny is up to them I suppose. I think they are, for now.

If a driver has the misfortune of being involved in an accident and the logs are not up-to-date, they may get in a bit of trouble. If you get caught pulling out of a rest stop and you weren't on line 1 (not line 2) or even when you go into a truck stop...For any reason. At least some kind of electronic record may help a driver in a situation like that. Of course 'ya should put yourself on line 1 but that's pretty easy with a QC.

As we know, the equipment will have you on line 4 if you don't manually put yourself on line 1 or 2 but 'ya can at least say that it was company supplied equipment and it was suppose to be reliable. There's a chance you might win a court case with that argument. That's the argument I would use.

If the company supplied equipment is defective, it isn't my fault.

With paper logs, 'ya better have it up-to-the-minute accurate. If that's better for a driver, so be it.

I view it as similar to using a dash-cam for evidence in an accident. It's a case of covering your ###.

A driver has proof that he was legal. The court sees it as an "electronic device doesn't lie".

Whether it's right or wrong, that's the way it's viewed.

 

A driver does not have proof he is legal. How does the elog determine on duty time apart from sleeper or off duty? It takes your word for what you enter ... If a flatbed driver has a heck of a time tarping and it takes him longer than usual, you think he is going to enter 4 hours instead of 1 as on duty? The only accurate information it logs is where and when the truck moves. Then you have the whole argument of driving while you are rested, resting when you are tired. An elog doesn't allow for that. I dont believe bending the rules a little from time to time is such a safety hazard. Some say trucking is the safest it has ever been, so why the need to "fix" it? I understand elogs will help someone much better defend themselves in the event of an accident. But it should not be forced upon everyone to run the machine.

 

Well if you don't fill out your logs till the end of the day, your an idiot. Ive always run paper. You atleast need to write on a piece of notebook paper what you did at what time.


Please if you guys are gonna try and cheat do it write. BURN all evidence don't rear it up. OH DOT was digging through the trash at one point in time.

 

In the case of a QC or even my GPS, when the truck isn't moving it automatically goes to line 4. It will stay on line 4 until the truck moves something like .5 or .75 miles then goes to line 3 automatically or unless the driver changes it to whatever line they wish to put it on.

Everyone already knows that of course.

If a person wants to cheat the hours while tarping for 4 hours then thats their prerogative.

We've all seen dot vehicles sitting at the off-ramps or parked inside rest areas and across the street of (mostly larger) truck stops.

I'm kinda' thinking their setting up sting operations to get log violators. Money.

In casual conversation, other drivers I've talked with have confirmed that the dot will do that.

Believe me, I've had my fair share of being on a line I wasn't suppose to be on.

With an elog, you can still edit it at the end of the day or even in the middle of the day.

Some drivers are very good at keeping perfect up-to-the-minute paper logs. Kudos to those driver.

My point is, in the unlikely event that a driver has to go to court to defend themselves, the equipment could be used against the prosecutions arguments that the drivers logs were possibly falsified or not current.

With paper logs, every "i" better be dotted and every "t" better be crossed for the past 8 days or that gives the prosecution the ammunition they crave.

 

So to summarize your entire, wordy post: Laziness.

Dream on. One reason I left my last carrier was creative editing of e-logs. That was just for the logs that got pushed back to the truck. There's no telling what they do to log entries older than 8 days. O ye of corporate faith.

If you actually ever used paper logs, you were bad at it if you had to figure out where you were all the time. You'd never get caught up if you were pulled in at a weigh station for an inspection. That's not a flaw with paper logs, it's laziness/lack of skill on the driver's part.

So basically, you want the profession to turn into mindless drones that any douche with basic motor skills (psst that means the ability to use one's feet, hands, arms, and legs effectively, not an engine) can do. Drivers like you are a part of the problem.

Do I really need to point out all the ways such a "defense" would automagically fail?

The most glaring error in your assumption is your attempt to replace driver judgment with company liability/negligence. That won't get you anywhere. As a professional driver, you are responsible for your own logs and the condition of the equipment you operate. If you are not satisfied that it is up to standards and willingly operate it regardless of defects, you place the public at risk and are liable for any damages or citations.

That is why it is important to keep a paper log book on the truck even if you run your precious e-logs - in case of malfunction. Paper logs don't break down.

Accountability isn't about what's best for the driver. It's about what's best for the public they are endangering if they are operating irresponsibly. As far as I'm concerned, a driver that's too lazy to put ink to paper is also more likely to be too lazy to constantly scan his mirrors, GOAL, and properly trip plan.

That simile is not even close to accurate. If you want to compare it to dash cams, a personally owned dash cam keeps data & control with the driver of the truck, whereas a company dash cam, the driver has no control over whatsoever & can easily be spied on by a snoopy prick at HQ.

I'm all for drivers buying a dash cam to cover their ###, but there's no way in hell I'll drive for a company that puts their own in the truck.

For hundreds of years, the Earth was viewed as flat. So that must be the best way to live then, saying the Earth is flat because it's a popular notion.

"Intelligence and the use of common sense being replaced with nanny state legislation and big brother devices are a popular concept with corporate America, so we better all line up like the lemmings we are & swallow whatever crap they feed us", is your line of reasoning, and I can't buy it.

 

K. This is getting outa' control.

The defense rests.

 

Edit: I need coffee.