Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/74547
OWNER-OPERATORS' TOP CHALLENGES 'WE NEED MORE FLEXIBILITY' Owner-operator Jeff Clark calls the combo of the rigid 14-hour rule and FMCSA's intention to enforce it with EOBRs a "sell out" to large companies to tip the scales their way. "I deal with a lot of small customers," he says. "Most of these customers can't take a truckload at a time. I will often have appointments as early as 3 a.m. in the meat markets of Chicago and then deliv- eries in the suburbs hours later. It is easy to get out of the city at 4 a.m., then go back to bed until my suburban customers open. I have seen drivers who get stuck at a customer for six to seven hours told to wait another three to four to show a 10-hour break even though they never slept." The rigidity of the 14-hour clock "also forces drivers to hurry," Clark adds. "That is never good. I think that in the long run the 14-hour rule will lead to an increase in accidents." Jeff Clark Be aware of your EOBR options. When the newly minted EOBR mandate begins (there are no set dates yet), independent owner- operators will have many choices for compliance. Costs vary widely in terms of up-front payments and monthly fees. Devices like Xata Turnpike's RouteTracker come with no down payment, just a monthly addition to your cellular service plan and apps on your existing smartphone. J.J. Keller's eLog device and Sable Truck Systems' Android tablet EOBR (see Page 4) have up-front hardware costs under $500. Keller's has a nominal monthly maintenance fee, but Sable's has none. Thomas Bray, senior transportation management editor for J.J. Keller, advises operators to stay aware of the market and choices for compliant devices. "If somebody hasn't looked at EOBRs in the last five years, it's gone down from thousands of dollars to just a few hundred dollars" in terms of average device cost, he says. "As it goes mandatory in a few years, so many people will jump into the market that it will be very cheap." He points to cell phone market trends as analogous. "My cell phone contractor now throws in a free cell phone" with every contract, he says. EOBRs may end up being much the same, with customers paying primarily for service. Early adopters will get the benefit of better service from vendors, Bray says. "You'll be able to learn how to operate in that electronic environment earlier," getting a leg up on your competition. "You can do the transition in a more controlled manner." Sample smartphone logging apps. Most smartphone apps designed for logging hours of service do not have a level of functionality that 38 | Overdrive | August 2012 Even federal regulators admit that unaccounted detention time throws a wrench into compliance with hours of service. will satisfy federal requirements for monitoring hours compli- ance. Still, at less than $10, they present an easy, private alter- native for getting accustomed to some aspects of electronic logging. 3. Excess detention at shippers and receivers At the February meeting of the FMCSA's Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee, discussion veered away from EOBRs and driver harassment as Jane Mathis of Parents Against Tired Truckers identified what she said was the "ele- phant in the room." She said the unspoken need concerning "electronic logs is to prevent fraudulent use of written logs," she said. "We know there are drivers who drive way in excess (Continued on Page 130)