The truth about EOBR's

Does ats run these elogs.....

 

Joan Claybrook is the crackpot that took over Public Citizen after Ralph Nader . She was head of NHTSA during the Carter administration . She was the one that mandated installation of airbags in passenger cars , ignoring warnings they were dangerous to children and small adults .
http://mises.org/freemarket_detail.aspx?control=148

 

If you feel like you are being treated like a child you might want to look for greener pastures. Elogs just allow a company to address issues as in a more immediate fashion. They might allow for a change in behavior this way as opposed to reviewing a paper log 30 to 60 days after the fact.

As for what you do when you are forced to leave, document it. Use the remarks sections to enter a comment. Forced to leave the customers property, then finish a qualifying break and get back in compliance. It's not the like the eLog is going to blow up if you drive in violation, it just makes it more difficult to falsify your logs.

 

Thanks for letting me chime in. I had been lurking for awhile and have learned a lot from the conversations taking place here.

Have a great night, all!

 

My carrier uses Xata . I think it's great system but nothing can eliminate errors and violations . Our most common problems are drivers not entering the shipping number and improper use of personal conveyance .
My main gripe is the unit is paired to my Blackberry . Even if I switch applications it will sometimes go back to Xata and even truck vibration will change duty status without my knowledge .
How will Xata deal with the changes in HOS ? One question I have is about only 1 restart in 7 days . What if a driver has 34 hours off and doesn't want to use it as a restart ?How will Xata recognize that ?

 

Ok...now i wanna buy one. No, but, seriously, i agree with you on some points...too lazy to touch on some of them but...long story short...eobrs work great when it comes to the following. Preventing driver abuse"

 

In one perspective, you would be correct. But it does have advantages to 6 month data storage requirements mandated on carriers... no lost logs. I would side with the reason most of the carriers that have gone with EOBR's is that record keeping, accuracy, and decreased office time is a big factor. Of course, your contention that it will help prevent driver abuse, is true in many cases. I am not so sure of that at my carrier. Seems like you really have to be trying to screw up or be a champion renegade to get their attention.

It actually compliments other tracking stuff like miles traveled in a state to IFTA filing purposes. No more having to write down odometer readings at state lines, and a more accurate evidence record of miles traveled in a state.

It seems, at least for my carrier, that increased efficiency resulting in decreased overall cost is more the primary motivator. I know the owner personally, and he is not into the mess with the drivers game. Like most carriers, he has enough trouble getting quality O/O and drivers signed on since it is a smaller carrier, and he does not have the budget to mass market jobs in the slick magazines and compete with the big carriers. He has no interest in tightening the screws on anyone. From a profitability standpoint, it made sense for him to put us on EOBR. And the proof is that my last two years, we have had couple of rate compensation hikes, and I have exceeded all my previous annual net income records. So, it is arguable that the EOBR had a negative effect out on the road.

 

What you're saying is YOUR company doesn't pass the savings along. My company is giving a bit to us.
As for running you for every last minute? What do you think they're doing with paper logs?
It's a business. They need to get the most out of their capital investment in order to stay in business. If you don't want to do it, they'll find someone that will.
Your mortgage isn't THEIR problem. You need to take care of your needs and they'll take care of theirs. And if they don't jive? Guess who needs to change!
It ain't pretty, but it's just facts.

 

I know. And yes you have a point. It's gosh darn frightning world out there. I do tend to feel a bit "safer" pulling as a company driver for a larger carrier as opposed to driving for scum bag independants or o/ops.

 

Xata is committed to helping carriers manage these changes in HOS, but I'm afraid I can't answer your questions in depth today. That said, I have passed along your questions to the Xata gang, as well as the issue you raised regarding your Blackberry, and I'll circle back with answers. Also, we do intend to address the changes in HOS and how Xata will manage those changes in an upcoming blog post.