Digital Logbooks

By Donald Hawthorne

February 1st, 2010

No driver wants to waste time while he or she is on the road. It’s pretty simple, time means money.

DOT regulations permit a driver to drive 11 hours in a 14-hour period during a 24-hour day. That leaves three hours for on-duty not driving, and 10 hours in the sleeper berth and/or off duty. That means: on-time deliveries, fueling, pre-trip and post-trip inspections, and delays in pick-up or delivery are required to happen in a 14-hour period. Anything outside of those parameters and there may be some consequences to face.

According to a report in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, when considering digital logbooks there are good and bad points on each side of the issue.

On the positive side:

• Carrier and driver are accountable for following DOT regulations, ensuring that drivers get their off-duty and/or sleeper time while eliminating possible fines. Plus, a well-rested driver results in lower accident rates while making on-time deliveries.

• Allows carriers to track a driver and watch for problem drivers.

• Offers Internet connections so that a driver can stay in touch with loved ones.

• Offers ready access to weather reports.

• The “key capability” is eliminating illegal log entries.

On the negative side:

• Most drivers will resist the technology.

• Drivers are paid by the mile, not by the hour, affecting driver potential income.

• Drivers will still be pushed to run illegally to meet appointment demands, and to keep their jobs, resulting in fines on drivers and carriers.

• Drivers not getting enough rest may result in more accidents.

“I believe electronic logs are inevitable, and I think we need to anticipate how changing will affect operations,” says Bob Baylor, president of a Milan, Ind., trucking firm that recently installed some units in trucks. Baylor also expresses a lack of tolerance with electronic logs. “You end up running out of time and you’re five miles from your destination, but that may be 30 minutes or more. What’s a driver suppose to do?”

Whether digital logs are good or bad, the technology will be trial and error during the evolutionary process. Leniency will be essential from all of those involved – drivers, carriers and the DOT. Digital logbooks will be a major alteration and hopefully a positive step forward in the trucking industry. Whether they are mandated is still up in the air.