A dispatcher’s rant about the electronic logging device mandate has recently gone viral on social media.
The post, written by Patsy Nettles-Royals, a dispatcher for Norris Materials and Trucking out of Montgomery, Alabama, describes the scene that one of her drivers had to deal with three days after the mandate went into effect.
Read Nettles-Royals Facebook post (published on Dec. 20) below.
“My rant for the day…why isn’t the mainstream media covering the effects of the ELD mandate that went into effect 3 days ago?? It seems they’re too worried about who sexually harassed who and not covering something that can/will affect the American economy. The trucking industry is the backbone of America’s supply & demand. What goes on in the trucking industry affects the cost of living, yet the media isn’t saying anything about what’s going on that I feel every American should know.
This video, sent to me from one of my drivers, proves the ELD mandate was not thought through by government before mandating electronic logs. The drivers in this video were forced to shut down (park for a 10 hour break) in Arkansas and there wasn’t sufficient parking at the truck stop- trucks were parked on the side of the road and the police were wanting them to move. Legally, they (truck drivers) aren’t supposed to or they will get a citation that goes against the trucking company and the driver. (All this overcrowded parking stemmed from an accident earlier that had the interstate shut down for hours.)
This mandate has only been in effect for 3 days and I have seen nothing but chaos as a result. Receivers are pissed loads are being delivered late; but what can the driver do if this computer is telling him/her they have to stop for 10 hours?? It wasn’t their fault they got caught in traffic due to an accident. And while I’m on the accident subject, MOST of the accidents that involves a semi were caused by a passenger vehicle (a car) either cutting a truck off or slamming on brakes!! How many times have you jumped in front of a semi because it takes them too long to get going from a red light???
I see it all the time. Elogs will not prevent accidents!!! Believe me, truck drivers do not want to be in accidents, but this electronic logs is NOT the answer. Sure, big trucking companies have been using them for years, but what they aren’t telling the public is they employee drivers right out of school with ZERO experience and at a very low rate of pay so their overhead doesn’t hurt them from running elogs. To get a professional truck driver and not a “steering wheel holder” a driver requires more pay and with this mandate they won’t be able to get that unless freight rates increase which won’t happen if these big companies continue to haul cheap ass freight because they have no overhead expenses. What’s going to happen, I’m afraid is our real PROFESSIONAL drivers will quit and pursue a new career leaving the “steering wheel holders” to keep our country supplied with demands. God help us all when that day comes….
If the government wants to implement elogs, great, but suspend the mandate until they get more truck parking and trucking companies have time to educate the receivers on the reality of how much time it will take to deliver a load. Gone are the days of “hot loads” getting done. What it all boils down to is the elogs will increase the cost of living in the long run. I’ll get down from my soap box now…”
Nettles-Royals also shared the following video of the scene.
Do you agree or disagree with this dispatcher’s point of view? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.