Homeward Bound Now
- Thread starter CZ93X62
- Start date
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
I think I spent most of my time some days trying to explain Log Books to truckers that just never bothered to try to learn how they worked. No clue how things are, but 10 years ago the rules were pretty lenient. I don't care for and never did like the electronic logs. We had several accidents I attribute to them.
fiver
Well-Known Member
i don't want to go into the politics of the whole log book thing.
but you know it's a mess when the NTSB starts blaming things on the unions.
it was originally the unions that started making their drivers use log books in like 1934.
now they [the digital stuff] are being used by the company's to control and track their employee's movements.
the boxes themselves will report the driver if he goes a little over the speed limit, slams on the brakes, swerves too hard, or accelerates too fast.
the box will talk to you in the most annoying voice ever for some things, and won't shut up until it starts giving out warning beeps before the report is sent.
it will 'remind you' incessantly that you need to stop for your 2 hr. load check on that empty trailer, or for other inane things that cut into your driving time, and god help you if you try to only take a 29 minute break.
but you know it's a mess when the NTSB starts blaming things on the unions.
it was originally the unions that started making their drivers use log books in like 1934.
now they [the digital stuff] are being used by the company's to control and track their employee's movements.
the boxes themselves will report the driver if he goes a little over the speed limit, slams on the brakes, swerves too hard, or accelerates too fast.
the box will talk to you in the most annoying voice ever for some things, and won't shut up until it starts giving out warning beeps before the report is sent.
it will 'remind you' incessantly that you need to stop for your 2 hr. load check on that empty trailer, or for other inane things that cut into your driving time, and god help you if you try to only take a 29 minute break.
I was lucky I reckon, retired 8 years ago and that stuff was just getting started in earnest though not in my industry. Yet. I told them quite simply that they could save themselves a pile of money by not buying all that crap, if you don't trust my 30+ year record of zero tickets and zero accidents just don't hire me.
fiver
Well-Known Member
the problem is they can't not buy the stuff.
all of the logs are done electronically now, the driver has to log into the truck before he can even drive it.
many of them have a little handheld unit you take with you around the truck for your pre-trip and have to mark off the boxes as you go.
I have the exact same feelings about the whole thing.
if you don't trust me to drive your truck why did you hire me?
all of the logs are done electronically now, the driver has to log into the truck before he can even drive it.
many of them have a little handheld unit you take with you around the truck for your pre-trip and have to mark off the boxes as you go.
I have the exact same feelings about the whole thing.
if you don't trust me to drive your truck why did you hire me?
I worked on a system like that few years back. GPS, route and tracking, stop annunciators, integrated radio comm, elevator music, etc. for a municipal bus system. Was a double Mil rack mount. They actually wanted a system that would direct drivers to the assigned bus in the parking lot. Plus signage at the bus stop to tell passengers waiting when the bus would be at the stop. Unfortunately all the cities we had contracts with got flooded out. Another contract for rail lighting, trying to meet a tough spec - competitor said he could meet it. Tried to tell amnagement not to bother. They get the contract and then specs are changed to meet reality. Pretty much the way Gov. does stuff now.
CZ93X62
Official forum enigma
We got off VERY lucky as far as water damage is concerned. Preliminary indicia is a copper pipe inside a wall behind the water heater has a pinhole leak. We shut off supply to hot water heater--and the leak stops. Hoping to start repairs tomorrow (Wed.). Water heater dates from 1996, so it will likely get replaced as well. It will have to be dismounted to access the leak, so kind of a no-brainer.
Not my house, it's a rental. Lots of reasons we are still here, among them my recovery from last year's surgery. The construction workmanship is whacky, a trait featured in a lot of houses built in the late 1970s by cocaine and meth-using crew members of that era. I feel a rant coming on, so it's time to shut the h--l up.
Not my house, it's a rental. Lots of reasons we are still here, among them my recovery from last year's surgery. The construction workmanship is whacky, a trait featured in a lot of houses built in the late 1970s by cocaine and meth-using crew members of that era. I feel a rant coming on, so it's time to shut the h--l up.
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Thing truckers forget is that most of the new rules, especially log rules, are industry driven. I worked with a guy who was on the LE side of the FMCSR rules groups. He stated many times that the whacky, "I know we just changed this 7 months back, but this time we think it will work better. ", type rules were always industry driven. And by industry, that means the unions were part of it. I have no doubt he was absolutely right. The electronic logs and trackers are just another way for the bean counters (industry) to micro-manage the peons. Same as the GPS they put in our cop cars as I was getting out. I suppose some of the lies and abuses will get caught, but how many drivers will be screwing around with the log or company computer as they drive? We had 5 people killed up here a few years back when a TT rammed into a line of cars stopped on a straightaway in a construction zone. Nothing was ever proved, or at least released to the news, but I'd put my money on the drivers attention being on his computerized gizmo and not on the road.
A little OT, but one of things that really peeved me was the whole "rub rail" debacle. A rub rails function was to protect the tie downs and the trailer from bumps from forklifts, etc. as it was being loaded. It was never intended to be a tie down point. So someone finally changed the rules and made it clear that your strap or chains had to be inside the rub rail and that the rub wasn't a tie down. Within a few months people were screaming about it. Why? Because their rub rails were so dented up and mangled that they couldn't easily get a strap hook or chain under them. So the rule got changed back and a lot of people went back to hooking a strap or chain to a bent and mangled hunk of 1/4"x3" aluminum instead of into the framework of the trailer or truck. That was industry driven rule making. Fortunately there were enough truckers out there with a good dose of common sense that not everyone did that, or else there'd be equipment and goods scattered all over our roadways.
A little OT, but one of things that really peeved me was the whole "rub rail" debacle. A rub rails function was to protect the tie downs and the trailer from bumps from forklifts, etc. as it was being loaded. It was never intended to be a tie down point. So someone finally changed the rules and made it clear that your strap or chains had to be inside the rub rail and that the rub wasn't a tie down. Within a few months people were screaming about it. Why? Because their rub rails were so dented up and mangled that they couldn't easily get a strap hook or chain under them. So the rule got changed back and a lot of people went back to hooking a strap or chain to a bent and mangled hunk of 1/4"x3" aluminum instead of into the framework of the trailer or truck. That was industry driven rule making. Fortunately there were enough truckers out there with a good dose of common sense that not everyone did that, or else there'd be equipment and goods scattered all over our roadways.
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Pistolero
Well-Known Member
Never saw many truckers parking (assume sleeping) at the side of the road until the GPS systems started holding them to whatever
the rules are. Now they are parked everywhere, apparently (just guessing) they timed out and had to stop where
ever they were, or approximately so. No idea if it is better or worse.
Bill
the rules are. Now they are parked everywhere, apparently (just guessing) they timed out and had to stop where
ever they were, or approximately so. No idea if it is better or worse.
Bill
fiver
Well-Known Member
they used an extra 30 minutes and made it somewhere.
you can't tell the electronic log that your not stopping for a bit because you got held up in traffic and need to get to the next town for fuel and a parking spot.
it tells you you used up your drive time and will be reported.
there is another reason many off ramps and such are being used but that is a green card problem [and not from mexico look at the dingly dangly's in the windows] not a log book problem.
you can't tell the electronic log that your not stopping for a bit because you got held up in traffic and need to get to the next town for fuel and a parking spot.
it tells you you used up your drive time and will be reported.
there is another reason many off ramps and such are being used but that is a green card problem [and not from mexico look at the dingly dangly's in the windows] not a log book problem.
Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
When they started the practice of allowing Mexican trucks and truckers on US highways (it was severely limited for a long time) the Mex rigs and drivers were supposed to be all pre-checked out and A-OK. From what I understand, as with all good intentions, it didn't work out.
462
California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
I've seen tractors with Spanish company and drivers' names written on the doors that visually do not appear to be up to the standards one is used to seeing.
Locally, there are many pickups, trash hauling and delivery trucks that, though they have California plates, I'd swear were not originally sold in the States.
Locally, there are many pickups, trash hauling and delivery trucks that, though they have California plates, I'd swear were not originally sold in the States.
fiver
Well-Known Member
look closer at some of the drivers.
Somewhere Istan is pretty close to their hometown, they come over and live in their trucks for 8-9 years and go home.
they ain't bad drivers for the most part and don't draw a lot of attention to themselves, but they do knock down the pay scale some.
the other end of the spectrum is many of the new trucks are going to automatic transmissions.
[you can guess why pretty easily]
Somewhere Istan is pretty close to their hometown, they come over and live in their trucks for 8-9 years and go home.
they ain't bad drivers for the most part and don't draw a lot of attention to themselves, but they do knock down the pay scale some.
the other end of the spectrum is many of the new trucks are going to automatic transmissions.
[you can guess why pretty easily]