hey bull, how about an update on how the electronic logs are going.
They suck. Between having to be told when I can and can't drive, and being forced to not run over 65 MPH now, it makes me not even want to get into a truck.
On my first run, I loaded an hour early with a 500 mile run to Montgomery Alabama. Even loading early, I had to run the 500 miles straight through, stopping only once at a rest area to pee. I was unable to stop to eat, unable to stop and get a shower, and was unable to park at a truck stop. By running the load straight through, nonstop, I arrived at the receiver at 8:54PM. I had to deliver at 7:00AM, so by parking on the street with no place to use the bathroom, I had just enough time to take my 10 hour break before delivering the load. Had I parked at a truck stop long enough to do anything, I would have ended up with less than 10 hours, forcing me to take a full 10 after I got unloaded the next morning.
My second trip was a 1580(1490 pay miles) mile run up to Sidney, Montana. Took me 3 days driving to get there, delivered the following morning, and took me 3 days to get back. Not only that, I had to leave the house late Saturday night to go pick up the load, and since I had been up all day Saturday (my only day off), I loaded the load at midnight, and had to sleep at the receiver til 10:00AM so I could take off that morning with a full day of driving available.
(On a load like this, due to the very early load time, I would usually leave my house at midnight, go get loaded, then sleep for 5-6 hours before taking off). It ended up taking me from late Saturday night when I loaded, until Friday afternoon to make it back, all for just under 3000 pay miles. I should have been able to go pick up the load, bring it back home, and sit at the house an additional day (until early Monday morning). At that point, I could have drove Monday and Tuesday to get it there, Delivered Wednesday morning, and been back at the house Thursday night.
So you tell me, and extra day at the house before leaving, only being gone 4 days, and an extra day at home before leaving out today, if I could run it the way I am comfortable running it. Instead of being gone 4 days, I was gone 6 days. Instead of being off and at home from Thursday night until Sunday morning, I am only here from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning.
Too make matters worse, had I gotten home on Thursday, I could have gotten a load at 2:00am this morning going back to Sidney Montana. Instead, I have to load later, which means my load is going to be only a 2000 mile round trip instead of a 3000 mile round trip to start the week.
Less rest, gone from home more, less miles, and driving slower which causes me to get tired behind the wheel quicker.
All about safety? I don't think so.
