New Yorker Magazine Article About Truckers

Interesting that this discussion came up. My ELD has been malfunctioning, it failed to connect properly and although it showed me as SB, I woke up to find it in drive still for 14 hours, leaving me showing as in violation. On the technical side of it, when it's GPS module in it can't reconcile the location, it assumes that it's being driven. The final choice that I made after calling all parties and protocol was to note every event in the device and switch to paper logs until I accomplished a 10 hour, provided the unit was functioning. I then scanned copies of the paper logs into the unit as pdfs so that in the event of an audit they were present.

I say choice because one could have chosen to reset right there until they were showing as in compliance. The point is that I log what I do and do what I log, weather it's paper or ELD. I think the safer choice would be to reset there, but I think I took a reasonably safe path as well.

A further complication is that it shaved 14 hours off my 70. I'll have 1 hour left on the corrupted log tomorrow when I deliver. I'm going to take a 34 at that point because I want to minimalize any potential issues past what has happened rather than continuing to force events showing as violations.

Our ELD's have massive amounts of issues, especially with their docking systems. In this case, the device was in error. The driveline cant be edited at all, its perceived to be infallible. I'm extremely dilligent with mine, but sometimes electronics fail. I actually kind of enjoy filling out paper logs in the aspect of it really gives you an understanding of your clocks and time, also it reminds me of drafting architectural papers, I like clean lines.

There are many days with multiple appointments that I wish we could stop our 14 more than with the split berth. I also think that the sleep guidelines we take as standard are designed for only one type of circadian rhythm. There are many of us that work nights, swing and have vastly different sleep patterns.

There are also plenty of studies that clearly show an increase in fatigued driving and drivers in too much of a hurry crashing because they are forced to accommodate the ever-present 14 hour after it was implemented. Where in a natural work day, drivers could stop and rest frequently without having the pressure of the 14 hour.

Maybe someone who is more fluent in the HOS language than I am can give a little lesson on how that works and why the 14 hour clock is not unstoppable.

The latest update to the HoS regs allow the driver both an 8/2 and a 7/3 option instead of just a 10 hour break to reset their 14 hour clock. The problem is it's pretty easy to kill 2-3 hours waiting to be unloaded but you rarely get a 7 hour break. You still have to shut down for the 7 or 8 BEFORE you use up your 14 hours. The only, "advantage" is that you now have just 7 hours before you have to go back to work again instead of 10.

If you have to park on an exit ramp to shut down you either a) didn't trip plan or b) aren't very good at trip planning or c) are just lazy. I have NEVER parked on an exit ramp. I have NEVER had a peace officer ask me to move my truck because I was parked illegally. I have paid for a motel room to have a place to park my truck. I've planned ahead and paid for a parking space if I knew I was going to shut down late at night.

If you need frequent naps you should see a doctor. That isn't normal or healthy.

Pacific Pearl you must be a young buck, lol. Let me say that us older guys need more naps as we age, but you make a great point. Drowsy, fatigued driving is a leading cause of accidents and fatalities. If that is a chronic problem for a driver, they urgently need to see if there is an underlying medical problem. Or, if there is no medical solution, they need to just get off the road permanently before they kill someone.

As far as parking on exit ramps, that is a huge no-no for several reasons. Number 1 is that it’s probably illegal even if it’s not enforced. Number 2 is that it’s dangerous. I’ve needed to, as a last resort, park on a ramp a few times. Not due to bad trip planning or laziness, but rather due to unavoidable circumstances. But those few times were always on the ENTRANCE ramp, not the EXIT ramp. Exit ramps are the most dangerous because trucks exiting the highway are traveling at a higher speed, especially if they almost miss the exit and haven’t gotten down to a safe exit speed. Trucks turning onto entrance ramps are just starting to accelerate and are usually at lower speeds while on the ramp. Just imagine parking on an exit ramp that already has a line of parked trucks. You become the last truck in line, closest to the highway and the first to be hit by an exiting truck. How could you even sleep knowing how vulnerable you were?

One example is at a regular delivery location for me. It’s the Kroger DC outside of Goddard, KS. My first time there, I was early. I checked in at the guardhouse and was told no overnight parking. I asked the guard where the nearest parking was. He told me the nearby Walmart prohibited truck parking and enforced it. There were several places near Walmart where drivers had always parked, but the police were now enforcing a no parking ordinance, probably because of all the trash moron drivers leave behind. The guard told me that drivers were being allowed to park on the ramps at an exit about 4 miles to the west. So I did park on the entrance ramp heading back to the DC, overnight along with several other trucks and was not rousted out by law enforcement. Now that I know this, I plan my trips so I don’t arrive early at that location.

That being said, drivers are hurting themselves by abusing parking locations. There is one Walmart DC I deliver to that has a large remote gravel lot for overnight parking. But the drivers have made that lot look like the county landfill. There is an incredible amount of trash and pee bottles around the perimeter of the lot. Many drivers have backed up, parked and swept their trailers out on the ground. I wouldn’t be surprised if Walmart closed that lot to truck parking as a consequence. And the sad thing is that many drivers who complain about the lack of parking are the ones who soil the nest for others.

Interesting that this discussion came up. My ELD has been malfunctioning, it failed to connect properly and although it showed me as SB, I woke up to find it in drive still for 14 hours, leaving me showing as in violation. On the technical side of it, when it's GPS module in it can't reconcile the location, it assumes that it's being driven. The final choice that I made after calling all parties and protocol was to note every event in the device and switch to paper logs until I accomplished a 10 hour, provided the unit was functioning. I then scanned copies of the paper logs into the unit as pdfs so that in the event of an audit they were present.

I say choice because one could have chosen to reset right there until they were showing as in compliance. The point is that I log what I do and do what I log, weather it's paper or ELD. I think the safer choice would be to reset there, but I think I took a reasonably safe path as well.

A further complication is that it shaved 14 hours off my 70. I'll have 1 hour left on the corrupted log tomorrow when I deliver. I'm going to take a 34 at that point because I want to minimalize any potential issues past what has happened rather than continuing to force events showing as violations.

Our ELD's have massive amounts of issues, especially with their docking systems. In this case, the device was in error. The driveline cant be edited at all, its perceived to be infallible. I'm extremely dilligent with mine, but sometimes electronics fail. I actually kind of enjoy filling out paper logs in the aspect of it really gives you an understanding of your clocks and time, also it reminds me of drafting architectural papers, I like clean lines.

There are many days with multiple appointments that I wish we could stop our 14 more than with the split berth. I also think that the sleep guidelines we take as standard are designed for only one type of circadian rhythm. There are many of us that work nights, swing and have vastly different sleep patterns.

There are also plenty of studies that clearly show an increase in fatigued driving and drivers in too much of a hurry crashing because they are forced to accommodate the ever-present 14 hour after it was implemented. Where in a natural work day, drivers could stop and rest frequently without having the pressure of the 14 hour.

I am with you on the aspect of the issues and limitations with the 14-hour clock. I have days where I need to take several cat naps and after doing so, I am good for 12+ hours, but my clock has already been started, and I could only stop it once. When I run out of hours, I am not tired. By the time I fall asleep, I am only getting a small amount of sleep once my 10 is up. So, I either lose out on time by sleeping longer, or get up and run as long as I can before it's time to sleep again. This is usually when I get into a pattern of using splits. I understand the need for a uniform regulation because without it, too many drivers would be running wild.

That issue with your ELD is nuts. I couldn't handle it. I would refuse to use it, on account that it's not functioning properly and go to paper logs. If it's broke, it's broke. That's what paper logs are for.

The only, "advantage" is that you now have just 7 hours before you have to go back to work again instead of 10.

I'd say being able to extend your 14 hour clock by two hours just by taking a 2 hour break is a pretty big advantage on some days.

The only, "advantage" is that you now have just 7 hours before you have to go back to work again instead of 10.

I'd say being able to extend your 14 hour clock by two hours just by taking a 2 hour break is a pretty big advantage on some days.

Definitely! I utilize this several times each week.

Lively discussion.

Although I haven't been driving for long, I've been around trucking in one form or another since I was just a child. I've known a lot of truck drivers over the years. All of them told stories of breaking the rules and driving while fatigued. Also, stories of dispatchers who expected them to go for 24 hours to make a load happen. It was a different period and time; there were fewer drivers than now. Also, there were fewer truck stops.

ELD: I hear both sides of this issue almost every day. Personally, I like the ELD and the rules we drive by. Sure, there are some things some of us don't like. But, if managed properly, they can protect the driver but are still not entirely in the driver's favor, if that makes sense. Once I start that 14-hour clock, it runs uninterrupted until I shut down for the day, regardless of how long I've sat in a shipper's/consignee's door. I have no problem hitting my mileage goals unless I've had a couple of very long live unloads where they have to count every case of product before releasing me from the doors. Even then, I sacrifice the drive miles. Pushing out my clock gets me back on the road. But it doesn't always lead to more miles driven at the end of the week Although, I have used the split sleeper on two occasions. There are only so many hours per day I'm willing to give to someone else.

Parking: It's a problem in many places. NEVER on the side of the road or an on/off ramp. Too big of a risk for this driver. Even when I wasn't a truck driver, I traveled around the country sightseeing, camping, fishing, hunting; you name it. Of course, I drove everywhere and had to park at rest stops and fuel or eat at some truck stops. The trash that drivers are throwing out of their vehicles today is worse than anything I've ever seen. Last week in Michigan, two trucks came whizzing through the rest area, tossed their neatly tied trash bags right out the window into the parking lot, and just kept moving. That is going to put more places off limits to us.