E-Log Help

I just started my first otr job this week and need some help with on the hours of service for example logs. My trainer isn't much help with explaining it and the company I went to work for didn't give us much training on it. Can someone please help me or send me a website to check out? Thanks in advance

Roll on

For starters try this link:

Learn The Logbook Rules (HOS)

Thanks G-Town

Gonna read up on it now

The logs are pretty straight forward, whether you ard doing paper or e-logs. The difference between the two is paper logs are done in 15 minute increments and e-logs reflect actual minutes.

On duty a max of 70 hours in an 8 day period. No more than 11 hours of driving in a 24 hr period, and once your shift begins, you have 14 hours to complete your 11 hours of work. A 30 minute break is required before 8 hours of your shift goes by. If you take 8 consecutive hours in the sleeper, it stops your 14 hour clock during that 8 hours. If you follow that with a 2 hour break, its like taking a 10 hour break.

Hope this makes sense.

Thank you Susan. That helped. What Im trying to get my trainer to explain to me is what's consideredo to be on duty and sleeper. For instance today we sat still in a traffic jam for 10 mins and he had me switch over to sleeper. Then I stopped at rest area to hit the bathroom and wasn't there 5 mins so I stayed in driving mode when he said I should have went to sleeper modr

Thank you Susan. That helped. What Im trying to get my trainer to explain to me is what's consideredo to be on duty and sleeper. For instance today we sat still in a traffic jam for 10 mins and he had me switch over to sleeper. Then I stopped at rest area to hit the bathroom and wasn't there 5 mins so I stayed in driving mode when he said I should have went to sleeper modr

Sleeper and Off Duty are nearly the same thing as far as your e-logs go. Generally if you physically stay on the truck, use sleeper. Showers go Off Duty. Your Sleeper & Off Duty time do not accumulate. So 10 minutes sleeper and later 5 minutes sleeper don't add up to be 15 minutes. Driving and On Duty time do build up over the day.

What your trainer is getting you to do, though, is to NOT be on duty if you're stuck in traffic not moving. You can creep forward a bit, but not much or the e-log will catch you up on that, and turn that into drive time. This can extend your driving time. (That's the time you make your money, doncha know!)

Most time units that count are greater than 5 minutes. So if you take 3 minutes to walk the dog, make it last at least 5 minutes. (Hint: driving to get out to the street does not kick into Drive until you get rolling.)

Im freshening up on the hos rules. Wasn't that rule (2 consecutive periods between 1am -5am) dropped?

Companies will have certain ways they want things logged. For instance, if we are stuck in traffic, my company does NOT want us to switch over to off duty. They say if you are in the truck on a public road, you are ON DUTY. I've been scolded for that one.

Companies will have certain ways they want things logged. For instance, if we are stuck in traffic, my company does NOT want us to switch over to off duty. They say if you are in the truck on a public road, you are ON DUTY. I've been scolded for that one.

As you should be. If you are on the side of the road, say a flat tire.. And someone rear ends you. If you were off duty you should've been in a rest area or a truckstop. But you were waiting on service to the truck so you were on duty.

If it were vice versa you would be open to major lawsuits.

If your trainer ever scolds for something look into it read the regs. Chances are he or she is trying to save you from something..

Im freshening up on the hos rules. Wasn't that rule (2 consecutive periods between 1am -5am) dropped?

It was "suspended" until completion of a study by FMCSA , proving that it enhanced safety.

They have long since let pass the date mandated for producing the required study. Congress has still not remedied which way they're going to go with this.

So the suspension of the rule requiring two periods from 1 AM to 5 AM for a 34 reset - as well as the rule for not allowing more than one reset in a 168 hour period - are still suspended.

What they are going to do about those two rules, is anybody's guess.

Both of them were ridiculous. The 1 AM to 5 AM one, actually decreases safety, by changing up at night drivers cicardian rhythm.

The other one was just dumb. If you happen to be sitting for 34 hours, you should be able to reset, regardless of when your last reset occurred. The key here, is that you were off duty for 34 consecutive hours, not how often that happens to occur.

The rules regarding the 34 hour reset, existed prior to these stupid modifications, are still the rules.

Rick