Trucker Reportedly Forced To Alter Log Book Before Crash Awarded $80 Million!

At a large carrier that is using QualComms, PeopleNet, etc... sure. But the owner ops and small companies... different story. Production is all that matters. Since the majority of the trucking world is small company / owner ops... just saying.

REALLY! Production is all that matters?? Just F#&k Safety, Laws, Rules and Regulation??? WOW, REALLY!! Unbelievable comment Patrick. Where did this attitude come from all of the sudden. I thought Moderators on this site were held to a higher standard.

You know what - get off his butt. I guess technical advisors should be held to that same standard. He's just telling it like it is, out there in smaller company, O/O-land.

This is one of the realities of not being with a mega, and wanting to make a living. I find it rare that we get a long-time member here, that has crossed over to the dark side, and reports back what it's like out there.

People that are trying to scratch out a living will stretch the rules if & when they can.

Which would be a note to those considering getting into an o/o or smaller company - where you have a choice to bend the rules and produce, or stick to the letter of the law and make less.

Rick

BS Rick. You can work anywhere and “bend the rules”. Still doesn’t make it right. THAT is a FACT!

Yes, you should be held to a higher standard as well Rick! Take "technical advisor" away from your title and you can post whatever you want. You are a representative of Trucking Truth and should act as such. If you want to preach outlaw trucking, drop the title. You of all people know the main purpose of this forum. To help new drivers get established in this career!

LDRSHIP persists...

Cheat with Impunity

You think that’s okay?

Considering the charter of this forum is to teach and coach Newbies, how is any of what you wrote relevant to them or even useful?

We do not advocate O/O (especially for a rookie), but advise going to work for carriers offering Paid CDL Training Programs. We also consistently reinforce conducting truck driving business within the laws and governance of HOS rules. What exactly are you advocating here?

You are a Moderator of this forum and IMO have an unwritten responsibility to uphold that charter.

Just sayin’

Did I once say that I edit my logs everyday? I said it IS possible. Have I ever fudged. No worse than Brett has ever done. He admits to it as well. I am NOT advocating to go do it. I am merely pointing out it is STILL a possibility. It can and does still happen. It really is that simple. I am not advocating for it. Do what one’s own conscious allows.

Everyone who is productive even with tightly controlled ELDs works in a grey area often.

At a large carrier that is using QualComms, PeopleNet, etc... sure. But the owner ops and small companies... different story. Production is all that matters. Since the majority of the trucking world is small company / owner ops... just saying.

REALLY! Production is all that matters?? Just F#&k Safety, Laws, Rules and Regulation??? WOW, REALLY!! Unbelievable comment Patrick. Where did this attitude come from all of the sudden. I thought Moderators on this site were held to a higher standard.

Again, I am stating the facts of things. If you don’t believe me, go work for a small 3-8 truck operation. Sure safety matters. Don’t smash their equipment, they can’t afford to replace it. Shy of that........ I am just being realistic and honest. Last time I checked, this was called Trucking Truth. Not Trucking Politically Correct.

Well I've been following this discussion and I have a few thoughts.

I don't think LDRSHIP was encouraging anyone to cheat, nor was he trying to help anyone cheat. He was simply explaining that there are still a lot of drivers today that can cheat the logbook rules if they want to. It doesn't sound like it's very difficult to do if you're an owner operator or a small carrier that is willing to invest a little time and money looking for a way around the system.

I also believe that when he said "Production is all that matters" he didn't mean to the exclusion of safety, at least not for himself. He meant that turning big miles is more important than following the rules for some drivers and some office personnel in the industry.

So I don't think he was sharing opinions as much as he was sharing simple facts of the matter.

Let me give people some historical context for this situation also.....

In the past I've made it clear that back when I drove it was very much an outlaw industry where we all enjoyed a good game of cops and robbers. It was literally like Dukes of Hazzard - you got away with whatever you could. Most of the time you got away with cheating, sometimes you got caught. That's just how the game was played.

The drivers, the office personnel, and the cops were all knowingly playing the same game and it wasn't taken nearly as seriously as it is today. Back in the day you weren't looked at as the bad guy or a non-professional for cheating the logbook. Quite the contrary, in fact. If you cheated and got away with it you were looked at as the good guy who did whatever it took to get the job done safely. If you got fired for too many logbook violations you'd have a hundred companies lined up waiting to sign you up. After all, who wouldn't want someone who was willing to work harder than the Federal Government allowed?

Nowadays it's a different world. Truckers are held to a much higher standard than in the past. It's still an older generation out there, the average age being almost 50 years old, so there are still a lot of people who were around back when our culture considered the bad guys to be the good guys - Convoy, Dukes of Hazzard, Smokey and the Bandit, James Dean, etc.

So today we have a mix of cultures in the industry.

From Trucking Truth's official perspective, we tell the truth about the industry and always have. So when LDRSHIP explains the reality of his situation we're good with that. We also mentor new drivers into the industry and without a doubt new drivers should do everything by the book.

So I don't want to lie about the reality of life in the trucking industry, but I also want to make sure that new drivers know how critical it is to do things the right way - by the book.

Trucking is all about safety, responsibility, and good judgment. All drivers make decisions every single day that could mean life or death for themselves or the innocent families around them. We saw a very dramatic example of that recently when that driver went out of control in Colorado and killed a bunch of people. It only takes a tiny mistake to ruin a lot of lives, including your own. He'll likely be going to prison while a bunch of families are attending funerals for their loved ones.

The most important thing I can say is to always make sure safety is your first priority no matter what. Everyone will have the opportunity to make a ton of money, and to do it 100% legally - by the book. You won't have to cheat the system or run yourself ragged to make great money and have a wonderful career. So remember that every time you find a situation where you're considering going to the dark side. You might be able to make a little more money, but you also might ruin your life or the lives of those around you if you overestimate your abilities or make a tiny mistake.

You want a truth of a small company that has been in business barely 6 months in the trucking world. Here goes.

If you don’t, the boss don’t get paid. If he don’t get paid, you’re not getting fuel or a paycheck.

Here some more. The truck I have has 4 oil leaks, 1 of which is the air compressor dumping oil into the air system. It has ruined the air dryer, so now oil and water are in the air tanks. I have air leaks, my bunk A/C don’t work. But can any of that get fixed? Not right now, because another truck lost 3 injectors. That was priority so it can get moving down the road. As long as my truck is still rolling it is gonna have to be make do. So I need to stop a couple times a day and drain my air tanks dry to get rid of the buildup of oil and water. So some relief valve doesn’t stick open and I lose all my air.

If it doesn’t stop you from rolling down the road, it doesn’t get fixed until it is convenient and the funds are available. Everything is a balancing, tight rope act. I fix what I can, when I can with what I can.

I am sorry if I offended some of you with the truth. It is Trucking. I’m definitely not suggesting anybody do what I am doing. Especially not a rookie. This has been an eye opening experience. Reality is far different than theory in a perfect world.

Screen shot this for future use.

Yes, you should be held to a higher standard as well Rick! Take "technical advisor" away from your title and you can post whatever you want. You are a representative of Trucking Truth and should act as such. If you want to preach outlaw trucking, drop the title. You of all people know the main purpose of this forum. To help new drivers get established in this career!

No one is "preaching", merely stating facts.

When/if the "boss man Brett" desires to strip either myself or Patrick of our honorary titles, I'm sure he will if he feels it necessary.

Until then (or even after), we will continue to speak the honest TRUTH about the industry (y'know, Trucking TRUTH?).

Neither myself nor Patrick was endorsing nor encouraging anyone to break the rules - but simply acknowledging realities in the industry.

Didn't know people had gotten so thin skinned around here. I'd be more than happy to take another hiatus, if people can't deal with plain, honest facts.

Rick

Suit yourself, doesn’t matter to me one way or the other. You can judge me as being thin skinned all you want. White noise to me.