What large trucking companies still use paper logs

I'm not yet a driver, but I am researching stuff and I think a lot of the push back comes from the bundling of E-logs wither surveillance and tracking systems. I'm curious if any one replies back to question above about paper based companies letting drivers use their own e-log. With out GPS , and odometer integration, the software is cheap.

 

My biggest argument regarding ELogs is the "hard breaking" non sense.

By law you can use whatever log software you want but, that DOT officer may want to see the last 7 and if you don't have paper, he may give you a citation and put you OOS.

 

We just get a fax number and send it over the QC and the logs are faxed to the DOT. That is not an issue. The hard breaking and other telemetry can be problematic if it comes up, but that is really a more comprehensive EOBR system, as opposed to just the ELog.

 

All the companies I have drove for that use ELogs, have an EOBR. I have used Qualcomm and PeopleNet. Got to say, PeopleNet sucks!

 

I have used both paper and elogs. In the beginning I loved elogs and thought they were more convenient and actually gave me more time to rest. HOWEVER later on I realized that they were for the most part a stressful nuisance. You could be under a tight load with minutes to spare and stopping just more than once for a quick bathroom break could put you behind on the whole load or in violation of your 14 hour clock. With paper logs you could stretch that clock a little and adjust it for that little extra time you might need to stop more if you need to or drive a little further to a truck stop that has more parking and not be stuck at a busy Pilot flying j late at night out of hours and circling the parking lot for a place to park. These scenarios can happen if you are running tight on your 14 hour clock or get delayed en route The only way to extend your 14 hour clock on elogs is to show an 8 hour break. For example,if you get held up at a shipper or receiver for more than 7 hours and your 14 hour clock is about to run out all you have to do is stay there for another hour and show off duty or sleeper and your elogs will extend your 14 hour clock and you can leave without getting a violation.For the most part elogs are not an issue with most loads as long as you plan your time wisely but they can be a major stressor and nuisance if something goes wrong along the way or you get a load with a very tight delivery schedule. For these reasons I would prefer paper logs as they would cut down a lot on my stress level of not having to run against the clock with minutes to spare and get penalized for stopping for a short needed break.

 

Nothing goes wrong in trucking driver,,,come on.

 

The vast problem with eligs is it kills production ran on paper ran on elogs and there isn't any comparison this elog crap isn't about making america's roads any safer its about the government keeping up with what every trucker is making(money)what better way to control someone's money than regulations if its about safety than why isn't pilots,conductors,firefighters and so many others on elogs they are all professionals and they all use america's roadways as well

 

Elogs have never been about safety. The government and supporters of more regulations use safety as a way to push their agenda/s. There is NO evidence that using elogs have made roads safer than those using paper. If you recall, a driver on elogs who just started his day plowed into a number of cars and killed at least one person in New Jersey a couple of years ago. He worked for Walmart. One thing I have noticed about those using elogs is that they will continue to run when they are tired, because they are using elogs and the clock is ticking. I think that rather than making roads safer, elogs actually force drivers to push themselves longer than they should and to possibly drive faster in order to earn a decent living. It can also make drivers more stressed when they have an electronic nanny counting down the minutes. OOIDA continues to fight this in the courts. They may or may not be successful in having this overturned. OOIDA wants, along with at least one congressman, would like to force the FMCSA to prove that a regulation is actually necessary before it can be implemented. The truth is that a handful of people stand to make billions from this legislation. Consider that there are between 3-5 million trucks in this country. The last time I first checked the cost of the individual units were between $1,200-3,600 per truck. I think there are some now available for under $1,000. After the initial unit cost there is a monthly fee. At that time I was quoted $45/month. I am sure the mega carriers can receive some discounts, but when you multiply the unit cost and then the monthly fee, the profits are enormous!!

 

You will never want to go back to paper again. You can throw your calculator and straight edge out now.

 

Well, I can still add and the mental exercise is good for the brain. We are very quickly turning into a nation of mental robots with electronics doing all our thinking and dictating our actions. Pretty soon, there will be no reason for a living, breathing driver in the seat.