Electronic Logs
It is not a matter of if but when. I was just in Washington D.C. a couple of weeks ago, and at the meeting I was at we discussed this issue. They are coming this time, right now they are trying to figure out the size of the fleet that will be mandated or will it be all of us. They would prefer it to be all of us, believe it or not the electronic logs (being diffferent from EOBR's) will actually help us instead of hurt us. By running legal and having an electronic device to use to prove to the shippers, brokers, and receivers that you are really being detained due to their inefficiency will give you validation to collect on detention. They are planning on adding into the bill a detention provision to help truckers offset the lost revenue for miles. Looks like a little reregulation is starting to occur to me. When you can no longer run 4000 plus miles a week, or haul even more bushels to make up the difference. What are you going to do? Ask for more money per mile, that is what you are going to do. How many of you have sat in line all day and all night and not got paid one penney extra for your time?
For those that want to prepare for the unavoidable, here is what my guys started using and they love them. I told my dad when he downloads the app and shows me he can use it I will let him back on my truck. Makes it easier for me to plan my guys with the electronic logs, no more wondering if they have enough hours, no more calling and waking them up during a sleep break, we have found it has made our life easier not harder. (They still carry paper in case they run into a DOT officer that wants to see paper) The regulation says you must be able to print the logs and may be used in conjunction with hand printed logs. Keeptruckin.com has an electronic log app that is free and can email or fax the logs to the DOT officer, print them to a printer, or as a final backup just write them by hand onto good old fashioned paper logs and hand them to the officer (what my guys did). Hope this helps you prepare for the transistion.
For those that want to prepare for the unavoidable, here is what my guys started using and they love them. I told my dad when he downloads the app and shows me he can use it I will let him back on my truck. Makes it easier for me to plan my guys with the electronic logs, no more wondering if they have enough hours, no more calling and waking them up during a sleep break, we have found it has made our life easier not harder. (They still carry paper in case they run into a DOT officer that wants to see paper) The regulation says you must be able to print the logs and may be used in conjunction with hand printed logs. Keeptruckin.com has an electronic log app that is free and can email or fax the logs to the DOT officer, print them to a printer, or as a final backup just write them by hand onto good old fashioned paper logs and hand them to the officer (what my guys did). Hope this helps you prepare for the transistion.