In The News
Not keeping log current most common error for truckers, consultant says
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Not keeping a logbook current to the last change of duty status is the most common error drivers make when recording their daily actions, a safety consultant told an audience of company officials and drivers here Thursday.
“If you keep current, you won’t falsify logs,†Ed Emerick, lead safety consultant for J.J. Keller Associates said at an Hours of Service seminar at the Mid-America Trucking Show under way at the Kentucky Exposition Center here.
He said other common errors include not keeping track of available hours, making mathematical errors and failing to recognize when in violation of HOS.
Emerick set the tone for the seminar during his opening remarks.
“If you’re here looking for ways to circumvent the process, you’re in the wrong place, and I assure you that if you circumvent the process and falsify your logs, the Department of Transportation is going to catch you.â€
Emerick stressed the importance of keeping accurate records and making sure the logbook entries match electronic records captured by third parties, such as toll records, fuel receipts.
“You’d be amazed at how many times I find that a driver paid a toll 200 miles down the road from where his logbook said he stopped at the end of duty,†Emerick said.
Emerick also stressed the importance of keeping neat logs.
“Sometimes if the DOT is looking for something to audit, they will bypass neat and orderly logs,†he said.
Emerick said he’s tired of people suing the DOT over the Hours of Service rules, which he strongly supports.
“The new rules require a driver to get 25 percent more rest per tour of duty than the old (pre-2003) rules,†he said.
He asked how many of those in attendance actually utilized the full 11 hours allowed by the current rules. Only a few raised their hands.
“You’re not in the majority if you use all 11 hours,†he said.
Emerick noted that under the old rules, which allowed a driver to “stop the clock,†a trucker could stretch a day of driving into 22-25 hours and not be in violation.
With the current rules, that’s not possible, he said.
Emerick also reminded attendees that once a driver ran out of legal driving hours, the trucker could continue to perform non-driving duties.
“The DOT is interested in keeping fatigue drivers off the road,†he said. “The DOT is not interested in keeping fatigued drivers from sweeping out their trailers.â€
According to research, Emerick said the most common reason drivers falsify logs is because of family pressures.
“A driver is going to be home for important events, such as a wedding anniversary or a daughter’s swim team meet,†he said, even if they have to falsify their logs.
Other reasons include money, shipper/receiving/carrier pressures, bad habits, bad bookkeeping skills and the body’s clock.
Emerick noted that there are penalties of up to several thousand dollars if the DOT finds logs that have been falsified.
“But those fines are a drop in the bucket compared to the legal liability in terms of a catastrophic accident involving a driver who’s falsified their log,†he said.