The truth about EOBR's

Again , the driver pushes himself watching the clock . The e-logs don't push the driver . He causes his own anxiety . Wrong kind of mentality for this industry .

 

Happens all the time Rick...... the whole point of pushing yourself is low pay, gotta get on / done / etc. so I can get some more so I can make a check. The cold and hungry theory I've yaked about in another thread.

The anxiety is printed all of the back of the trailers... " Want more miles?" And drivers don't need more miles bud, they need more pay for the miles they run today.

I will match any well paid fleet to a common carrier's csa or safety record anytime. It's a no brainer, money motivates behavior and it's proven behind the wheel everyday, with or without elogs.

JMO

 

Yeah , I laugh every time I see one of those "Want more miles ? " signs . I rarely run 3,000 miles a week and take home more than BFI drivers gross .

 

Don't worry...Joan Claybrook has an easy solution for that.....Cameras in the sleeper.....

 

Great question.

I work with Xata and, recently, have been chatting with owners and safety managers that are running EOBRs. What I'm hearing from them is that EOBRs save them time and money company-wide. They're able to monitor idling, speeding, and hard braking, allowing them to identify inefficiencies and drive MPG improvements. And in some cases, they're handing those costs savings over to the driver. Talk about a win-win!

From a paper management standpoint, they no longer need clerks to perform time-consuming data entry tasks, so they can either eliminate administrative positions or move those people to work that actually generates a profit for the company. Also, prepping for audits and creating IFTA reports is far simpler, and it's easier to catch form errors and correct them.

EOBRs are not mandated, so if the technology wasn't saving companies time and money, they wouldn't be using it. But they are. In fact, they're helping companies capture a competitive edge in a very difficult economy.

Skepticism among drivers that haven't used e-logs before isn't uncommon, but what I'm hearing from the people I've spoken to is what's been reflected here--that while there may be resistance at the outset, drivers are by-and-large supportive of the technology once they've had an opportunity to gain some experience with it.

Anyway, I happened to read your thread and thought I'd pass along what I've heard.

Happy travels!
Sarah

 

I have been on the EOBR for over a year, Sarah, and I would tend to agree with your comments. My net is up for the last two years. I do like the time savings. No paperwork and stupid little goof ups like forgetting to sign a log page, or forgetting the miles for the day total, etc. When I get home, just punch an off duty and enjoy my time off. No having to figure recaps, resets, break/sleeper splits, etc. Biggest problem that was eliminated was carrier lost log pages that had to be resubmitted or didn't scan properly.

It is true, that most, after they actually use the thing, tend to grow fond of it. I had to give it a try before jumping ship, and I am glad I did. All that drummed up fear and skepticism went out the door. What others think is their business, but I have no problem staying with an EOBR.

 

I heard this one quite a bit from the companies I spoke with, too. Not only did they run into issues trying to decipher some of the handwritten logs, when they were unsigned, the admin had to do some detective work and connect the unsigned logs to the correct drivers. It was time that could definitely be better spent in other areas.

I'm glad to hear you've had a good experience, Cowpie1!

 

Ok I'm sorry but who is Joan claybrook......