Many support the e logs too. It levels the playing field. We all have to live by the same rules, and the e logs will make it tougher on the renegades who flaunt the law.
One interesting comment in the attached story was the attitude toward e-logs. Some drivers view them as an invasion of privacy and there are some drivers and owner-operator associations who oppose making them mandatory.
"It's still something the railroads have to compete with. To what extent it still exists I do not know. But it is there. " Actually not compete with but contend with...I just learned yesterday that airline pilots who use the likes of Viagra are restricted for so many hours because of blue-green color blindness effects. I have an acquaintance in the drug testing business who claims there are a lot of false or inept testing being done because of inadequate training of testers and handlers, and because management at many businesses arrange the time schedule of "random" testing so that they don't get short of employees. Drugs and fatigue are major problems all industries face daily but none more noticeable by the public than those who drive trains, buses, trucks and airplanes.
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It's less of an issue today. When I got into the biz (in 1988) there were no hours of service regulations here in Canada. For the most part the shipping community has adjusted so that drivers can legally pickup and deliver. In fact, more customers than ever now complain about receiving their shipments early. I have some customers who make me take three days for a 700 mile haul. What a change from 1988... I remember driving from Toronto to Halifax, NS (1196 miles) in one sitting, non stop, without even a 10 minute break. Things have certainly changed for the better.
Use of illegal stimulants by truck drivers was an issue 50+ years ago. As you hinted, requiring electronic log books for all truckers would help. An additional help would be from remote read capability, to ensure that the truck is carrying one and that it has not been tampered with.
Sometimes they operate illegally. Sometimes with tragic results. The man killed had a wife and two small children.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-trooper-highway-worker-struck-met-20140129,0,5932799.story
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-tollway-crash-fatal-court-met-20140130,0,3359682.story
.Such operations do keep trucking costs low and divert freight from rail movement. They can send this driver to prison, and the trucking company owner to prison. Somebody will be there to take their place.
Electronic log books have cleaned this up to a reasonable extent. But such books are not currently required and the drivers can still cheat. 25 or so years ago it was quite common for truckers to round trip Chicago-New York in 36 hours.straight. 18 hours east, get a quick load back, and drive another 18 hours westbound. As in: "I'm taking little white pills and my eyes are open wide."
It's still something the railroads have to compete with. To what extent it still exists I do not know. But it is there.
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