The truth behind elogs.

Ok

 

I have often wondered the same thing. I guess a Dr. who has been up for 20 hours and then grabs a scalpel to operate on someone can only kill one person accidentally as opposed to a trucker who can kill multiple people in one shot.

 

Airline pilots have it far worse. I was talking to a captain awhile back. He said that he does not understand the rules. Said they were so complex it takes a computer to let you know if you can fly. There is no tolerance for going over hours. It will cost you your job. Said he got stuck on a ramp once and was notified that he no longer had hours enough to make the destination. He turned around and went back to the terminal.

 

Wow... Dumb bureaucrats always ruining everything

 

Many Canadian companies pick up load in us and deliver within us by faking BOL.

 

Which is why we need to fight every rule change that comes down the pike. We go to elogs and it won't be no problem making the rules so complicated that it takes a computer to follow them.

 

I kind of gathered that. I call it "stolen time."

Then you start exploring solutions. I'm of a mind that we need more laws and regulation like we need more cancer. So I don't believe more government meddling is the answer.

So that leaves market pressure. Just don't serve customers that steal your time. Easy for me to say, since I'm the one that decides where my trucks go or don't go.

Same could apply to leased trucks. Your customer is your carrier. If they're stealing your time, they are probably stealing much more than that. Find another place for your truck.

But Red! All shippers steal your time!

No they don't. When I know that risk exists, I increase my linehaul rate or just refuse the offer. I pass 100% of detention and layover payments to my W2 employee driver. I've been known to pay those to the driver even when unable to collect from my customer.

It ain't easy to find customers that won't steal your time. On the other hand, the ones that do that aren't doing you any favors. Sometimes you have to fire a customer. When I run out of customers willing to pay for services rendered, I'll sell the trucks and start a business doing something else.

 

Like to have one of those magical Elog machines on my dash right now!! Laying in my sleeper up here in the Keystone, backup beeper on the forklift is very annoying.... I take it those machines revive you and say you are ok, even when you haven't been able to sleep? In all honesty I'm actually starting to look forward to them.

 

Problem is the people making the rules have never drove

 

I only made it to the part about the government wanting to kill the little guy. I realized I've read or heard that statement enough over 30 years.