Paperloss Logs Thoughts

[rkeck]

I went back into temporary retirement last March. I left a large carrier that was talking about soon going paperless within the year. Not sure if they have or not but no matter ...

Having driven OTR for 15+ years for 5 different major flat and dry carriers, my take on paperless was it was going to be more of a hindrence than a good thing. I felt paperless logs (fully integrated into the dispatch system) would HELP those who DID NOT know how to manage their time and were not "eager" to work, and would HURT those who would GIVE 100% and were the go-to drivers for loads that had any sort of time issue that had to be overcome. I was pretty sure I'd spend 2 hours a week on the phone with safety about this and that little infraction here and there as I work to maximize my miles/time and minimize time spent sleeping "on an off-ramp".

I'm the kind that likes to "roam" where the freight is good and out 3-6 weeks is okay as long as the load coordination and avg. length of haul is good. I could routinely be in top 3 in my fleet mileage-wise but never got nailed for serious log infractions ... however, a fully functioning computerized/GPS integrated system would see a lot of "irregularities".

Anyway, I'd like to hear from those who went from paper to paperless, and how that affected your miles, day-to-day getting to a GOOD spot to take a 10 hour break without being "flagged for violation", etc. I just want to try and stay current with what's going on out there with the larger carriers in case I decide to go back to work some day with a paperless carrier. Thanks in advance.

[Jackrabbit379]

Actually, I like paperless. Don't have to sit down and draw the lines every day. I log onto the computer, and wahlah, it does all the logs, hours, everything.

[Sabine]

I work for a medium sized carrier, less than 400 trucks who is going paperless. I was (unfortunately) given the evil thing about 5 months ago.

My miles have not really been affected, but I am super anxious all the time. Worried if I find a space to park, will I make it some place safe etc.

I have been forced to park where I would not have parked, if I was still on paper logs, i. e. downtown Chicago, instead of outside of town and just drive in.

I have to parked at the shipper or receiver more often than not, and again, all this stresses me.

I like that there is no question what I can do. I hate the fact that all the company looks at, is whether I am legal. Safety has nothing to do with anything.

[RostyC]

I work for a medium sized carrier, less than 400 trucks who is going paperless. I was (unfortunately) given the evil thing about 5 months ago.

My miles have not really been affected, but I am super anxious all the time. Worried if I find a space to park, will I make it some place safe etc.

I have been forced to park where I would not have parked, if I was still on paper logs, i. e. downtown Chicago, instead of outside of town and just drive in.

I have to parked at the shipper or receiver more often than not, and again, all this stresses me.

I like that there is no question what I can do. I hate the fact that all the company looks at, is whether I am legal. Safety has nothing to do with anything.

Wait until the EOBR's come along, you'll have trucks parked everywhere.

[Kurbski]

I do paperless logs and like them. Like JR379said, wallah it's easy. As long as you have an idea whats around you whenever you have a delay, you can usually find a decent place to park. It may not be what you wanted because of not having enough food in your truck or a clean bathroom available. But stocking up, planning, alternate routes and arriving early is the key for me. I like to look at the atlas, gps, laptop with ms streets and trips and Google maps on my breaks before i get going. Your entire day should be preplanned taking into account the possibility of having to think on your feet when the unexpected happens. Trucks are already parked everywhere. I have parked after driving 10 hours with 10 minutes left on my 14, And other times i have shut down an hour early because i had time and felt like it. Thats just the way it goes. Sometimes all thats left are the tough parking spots but driving a tanker gives me some other options like a tank wash that others don't get. logging on line 1 or 2 as much as possible if i am not moving helps get me a short run or to a decent place to do a 34 hr reset when i get close to my 70. EOBR's just force all of us drivers to think and plan. no big deal really because we are all doing it anyway and the majority of us drive and don't find a reason to stop unless we really need to. Nobody likes change and being monitored...but thats the way it's going and we will all survive just fine.

[Copperhead]

I recently got switched over to paperless. I like it so far. Hasn't really affected my normal running, but then I was pretty compliant with paper logs before. One thing I do like is that is calculates the 8 hr sleeper and 2 hr off duty split for me to use that feature of regulations. That can be a real advantage if you have to sit at a customer for a while or you have to stop some distance away and still make an appt time. I did it a lot before with paper, but you really had to watch things close as it is easy to screw up doing it. Now, the unit takes care of it and I don't have to worry about messing it up.

If I want to go running around on my own time, like bobtailing to the house, I have the option of selecting OFF DUTY DRIVING in the unit. No time counts against driving time.

My carrier is using the Qualcomm MCP200 unit that also has built in GPS routing and some other features that really makes for a decent unit. I do have to trigger a reroute on the GPS side often, since if I followed that darn thing to the letter I would have an extra 10% out of route miles over and above the normal. For street level, it does a pretty good job and lets you know well in advance of streets and turns. For getting my logs for IRS purposes, I can just go on Qualcomm website and download a date range of logs in PDF form and store them on my laptop or desktop along with my business spreadsheets.

The thing can make you a little nervous compared to paper, but it is really not that bad of deal. Once a person adjusts to how to use it to their advantage, it is better than playing with a log book. Parking for me has never really been an issue with paper or paperless. I generally know where I am running and can plan to be at a particular place to park. I usually go on into the customer and park there overnight, except for the small number of customers I go in that do not allow overnight parking. But then, I have a refrig and a way to heat up food, make my own coffee in the truck, have about 6 years of T.V. shows on my laptop to watch, have data card for the laptop so I can get online, etc. I hardly ever use the truckstops for more than fuel and a shower.

[Skywalker]

I'm not in one of our units yet with the new system....but I have had nothing but positive feedback on the paperless logs. I'm actually looking forward to not having to go looking for my ruler and pen anymore... Seems the only thing I have really heard is that some people think "peoplenet's" is better than qualcomms...