Going Electronic Carrier perspectives on electronic logging devices
By Steve Brawner Contributing Writer
Several years ago, Dedicated
Logistics hired a retired federal inves- tigator to test its paper logging system, and he told the carrier’s executives what they already knew: that drivers’ paper logs didn’t match the carrier’s satellite tracking system, and if such informa- tion was used by a plaintiff in a lawsuit after an accident, it would be devastat- ing, if not fatal, for the company. So the company began making the switch to electronic logging devices. “You wake up one day and you real-
ize you’ve got equity to protect and you have to do the right thing, and for me and my business and as far as I’m con- cerned in the industry, this is the right thing,” said owner Alan Riels. Dedicated Logistics began mak-
ing the switch in January 2013 volun- tarily. Soon, fleets will have no choice. Under a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration mandate, interstate fleets using paper logbooks must equip their trucks with ELDs by Dec. 18, 2017. Fleets that are already using an automatic on-board recording device or who had plans to purchase one have until Dec. 16, 2019, to comply with all the mandate’s requirements. The 100 air-mile exemption remains in effect. In Arkansas, the same rules apply for intrastate hauls. Riels said he is not the type who
likes the government telling him what to do. But any philosophical opposition was overwhelmed by the business case
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“I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE AND HOW GOOD YOU ARE, IF YOU’RE ON PAPER LOGS… YOU’RE GOING TO CHEAT.”
—ALAN RIELS, OWNER, DEDICATED LOGISTICS
for ELDs. Prior to moving to electronic logs, the company was under an hours- of-service safety alert because its CSA score had exceeded 65. Now, that score is zero. The carrier recently had its first safety violation in 2.5 years, but only because of a bad sensor. “I don’t care who you are and how
good you are, if you’re on paper logs … you’re going to cheat,” he said. “That’s just the way it is. When you get a guy that’s an hour from the house and he’s got paper logs, and he’s out of hours, what do you think he’s going to do? He’s going to come home. If he’s on ELDs and he’s an hour from the house and he’s out of hours, what’s going to happen? He’s going to have to stop and take a break.”
PROOF IS NOT IN THE PAPER About two years ago, one of his
drivers was involved in a fatality acci- dent when it was struck by a passenger car that crossed the center line. The accident clearly wasn’t the fault of the truck driver, who moved as far to the right as he could. Because the truck was equipped with an ELD, the company was cleared of any potential CSA hours-
Dedicated Logistics
Implemented ELDS in 2013 50-100 trucks
CalArk International
Implemented ELDs in 2011 Over 300 trucks
Zero Mountain Logistics
Implemented ELDs in 2014 (never used paper logs) Under 50 trucks
USA Truck
Implemented ELDs in 2014 1700 trucks
of-service violations on the scene. If not, it would have had to prove its inno- cence over six weeks of investigations. CalArk decided to switch to ELDs
about five years ago because it believed that in litigation, nobody believes a paper log, said Dennis Hilton, vice president of safety. Since then, the com- pany’s hours-of-service violations have fallen into the low teens. Plus, Hilton said he’s sleeping a lot better. “We’re just trying to protect our image, protect
Issue 6 2016 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
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