Why CSA 2010 and E-Logs are a good thing.

You can also add that the mega-carriers will be buying the hardware and software at deeply discounted pricing, compared with the small fleet and O/O. Another big saving is that they can automate their "Safety Compliance", eliminating office staff. They just run the daily log data through the software and it will automatically pick out infractions.

Oh yeah - it will be a "level playing field" alright.

 

There's a new sheriff in town and it's the new breed of driver who will follow the rules. This elogs is going to cause a major paradigm shift in the industry for the better. Better pay, safer roads. When the old timers are gone, the freeforall attitude of falling all over themselves trying to run illegal to 'help out' will be gone too. The outlaws had their time in the sun and the game is over. America will no longer tolerate the thumbin your nose attitude the old timers gave to the little green book. It was all fun and games til too many people were killed out on the highways by supertruckers riding tail. The old timers should be encased in glass with a sign that says 'Open only in case of national emergency' because that's the only place for going outside the stated laws for hours of service. Scientific studies have shown that 10 hours a day is quite enough work for any person in any profession. With CSA 2010 you will be assimilated or replaced period.

 

I think that if you look at the statistic's you will find that about 76% of accidents involving trucks are the fault of 4 wheelers. In addition, I would wager that most serious truck accidents will have an inexperienced driver or one with minimal experience at the helm. When I see rollovers and other serious accidents where trucks are involved, it is usually one of the mega carriers and they usually employ less experienced drivers. Not all old timers go out here and run 14 hours a day. Most of us know how to pace ourselves where we can be the most productive. Many of us don't work all the hours we could. I rarely drive 10 hours in a day.

You are being naive if you think that EOBR's will result in higher wages for drivers. There will be more pressure on drivers to push their hours if they have time left on the clock, regardless of whether they are tired or not. Some people can easily work 10-12 hours per day and not be too tired. Others may be too tired after 8 hours. Everyone has a different body clock and work ethic.

One of the primary attractions of this business has always been the freedom that it offers to drivers. They plan their drive times as they wish as long as they meet their pickup and delivery schedules. That is what the old timers do. We don't need an electronic nanny to tell us how many hours we have to work or when we need to sit or sleep. We even know how to read a map!!!

 

This is a local gig. The problem is that there is a potato grower out in Williston ND that has two big warehouses. he is contracted to grow potatoes for JR Simplot in Grand Forks ND. The scale is pretty firm on when we can leave to go get loaded out at this grower. See if they have to cancel the loads and we are already out there then they still have to pay us for a full load. They call it a no load. Once we are loaded then there is not stopping for the night, especially in the winter. Even though our trailers are heated, most of the load will freeze when it is 30 below outside.

We can not run potatoes into simplot with Reefers, That and you can't haul enough in reefers legally. We carry 700 bags or 70,000 lbs of potatoes in our wagons legally. That and they can only unload live bottom trucks.

But I leave from Minto ND, drive out to williston, load the wagon, drive back to Grand Forks, unload then go back to Minto ND and park the truck and come home. Run is just over 700 miles. Take into account slowing down for certain towns etc then you are over your alloted driving time especially in a governed truck.

We have to pretend that we have slightly faster trucks. Meaning that we have to pretend that our trucks can actually do the posted speedlimit or even 2 miles over the posted speedlimit. When we do this then this brings our average mph up just enough to were we can log the run on paper and still not raise DOTs eye. This would be impossible with E Logs.

Also add tot he fact that this is a longer run and it is nice to beable to leave a little earlier, so I can stop and drop a duce if needed or grab some food. That and if I drive a little slower then I can make the round without having to stop along the way and add a little fuel. If I run balls out then I won't make the run without stopping for a little fuel. That and I feel drug out at the end of the day if I just run balls out. I feel much better at the end of my day if I slow down a bit and relax a little bit on the way out.

Not everyone runs this type of run so for the most part it would not effect them. It is just something that our company has to deal with for about a month out of the year.

Another time were E logs would hurt our company is when there are issues at the plant (simplot) See alot of the time we get to the plant and they had a break down or are broke down which leaves us sitting for a few hours or more which usually pushes us beyond our 14. Then we get to unload after our 14 is up already then drive back to the shop 35 miles away. We could split it but it scews up our working hours for the next day. You can't log the trip to the shop as personal convey because you are pulling a trailer and you are still concidered laden. Not to mention that we would have to drive back to Grand Forks, which is out of the way, and start our day out there rather then back in Minto.

If we stayed within the state all the time then we are exept from mandatory Elogs. But we don't stay in the state. We haul alot out of Minnesota, South Dakota, and Manitoba also.

Mandatory E Logs will hurt our companies ability to do the jobs that we do.

Not to mention that we have many drivers within our company that will not camp in their truck for any reason at all.

I will camp if needed but if I can make it home then I would much rather be at home.

See I like doing what I do. I spent the better part of my life as a automotive tech (mechanic) and am considered very good at it. I got sick of it and choose to drive a truck instead. I don't care to deal with people one on one anymore which is why I really like driving a truck. I don't care to be thinking about multiple car jobs are one time anymore which is why I like driving a truck. I don't care for spending hours and hours bent over the fender of a car or pickup trying to reach fasteners that sem impossible to reach without being tripple jointed and having two elbos. Which is why I drive a truck. I don't want to flip burgers or work in one of the homes cleaning up dirty diapers etc. Which is why I drive a truck. I don't want to be stuck in a manufacturing facility making things again and not seeing daylight for 8-10 hours a day. Did that for two years making windows at Marvin Windows and Doors.

See I did not get a degree in anything. I slid by Highchool and got my diploma and left it at that. I know it was a poor choice but it was a choice that I made more then 20 years ago.

 

They may clean them up after the fact. But my current company doesn't manipulate the logs for the driver. I have been told by a Werner company driver, "Werner" can and will manipulate logs to protect a load.

Looking at CSA scores. Log book violations are still showing up. Looking at my driver information page (company). It list 6 events where I violated HOS. All of which I'm aware. Two 11 hr violations, and four 14 hour violations for the past 12 months.

Even with E-logs, there is the chance of having violations. Case in point. I was 8 miles from our W. Memphis terminal, the traffic came to a complete stop. I sat there for 3 hours. I only had an hour left on my 14.

For those of you who want to make a smart ### statement about listening to the CB. Mine was on...it happened right in front of me.

E-logs are not the be all, end all of trucking. But I really like them, after seeing how they empowered ME.

I get a load. Tell them when I will be there. They either accept that as it is. Or they give the load to another driver....ZERO debate.

 

Not a #### thing wrong with that. Nothing to be ashamed of at all.

Poor choice ?? Not at all. I worked my way into management at several large companies (3000+ employees), without a High School diploma. I dropped out in 11th grade.

However, I did eventually get my GED and multiple degrees, later in life.

All these degrees are being required for employment now days for the simple reason, a high school diploma (these days) only means people attended that school for 4 years. It has nothing to do with what they learned.

Several of my former jobs require a minimum of 4 years of college. Although there are non high school grads STILL occupying several of them.

Like Ron says, "You can't fix stupid."

But it can restrict you to "Burger Flipper" status.

 

Rick, glad to see you back. This is my last week with my current company. I have my own trailer and getting ready to go on my own. This is how alot of companys have become. Not all, but alot run guys to the brink daily. I understand it's everyones choice to move on, I am, but if I want to take a nap and go an extra I should be able to. But we have to stay within the rules. The goverment should set the loads up for me, because they know when I need to sleep and take breaks better then me.

 

You think there will be more money with EOBR's? I don't think so. I not a fan of running 20 hours a day, but the mega carriers have found a way to do that. It's called STUDENT DRIVERS! Students training students! I bet more student/driver trainers have accidents more if the new laws come into effect. This has been going on for years. If the Goverment wanted safety first, training laws would be the first thing in place. But the goverment and the mega carrirers work hand in hand. Cheap frieght!

 

If you start limiting trainer criteria, you're going to create a shortage of drivers. It's already bad enough that some OTR companies put 2 students per truck.

And e-logs aren't going to give us higher wages.

 

Everything about this industry is about the dollar.