How Shady Is The Industry Really? (Multiple Logbooks And Unplugging GPS Trackers?)

Bud,

The concept of confirmation bias is a great tool for confirmation bias. My skepticism cuts both ways... the fact I wasn't willing to completely believe this after reading a few seemingly convincing reviews doesn't reflect that my convictions on other topics have lost their foundation. They haven't. I have just become bored with saying the same things over and over again, and hearing the same things over and over again. It serves no purpose.

Hey...best of luck to you Ryan. I hope everything works out for you. Safe travels.

Oh yeah, and the trite popcorn, "jokes" that are plastered all over various trucking forums are seriously inane.

Ryan, I think they are smart and funny, sometimes. Such as when the thread features a troll that's just there to jerk some chains, or someones sock-puppet created to be a foil for the enlightened ones. Which are you?

Ryan, the days of running multiple PAPER logs are quickly coming to an end. Their days are numbered. That day is this December. Yes there are a plethora of grey areas you can use and abuse even on e-logs. I can edit my logs as much as I want (more or less) except for 2 things. The drive line and those logs I have already approved.

So now you KNOW. You can't screw with the GPS, unless you want fired, and you won't be running multiple logs with your task masters of a trucking company cracking the whip.

So what other myths do you need dispelled? Granted the best lies are those with roots in truth. Are there little mom n pop truck operations out there that expect to their drivers to cheat their logs so they can run more miles. Yes, there are. But if that is what they have to do to keep the doors open, it will all come to a screeching halt this December. Can you unplug the main GPS sitting on top of your truck? Very easily. But only if you don't want to stay employed.

And the e-logs must be approved before dispatched on the next load...

I'm kind of curious as to how disabling a gps is supposedly able to help a driver even if it's just a conspiracy theory. It seems like all it would accomplish is getting a bunch of annoying messages on the Qualcomm asking where you are.

Frank, drivers try this thinking they can turn more miles without it burning time on their e-logs, but they are mistaken.

Ryan, all the bad reviews you find on line are from disgruntled people. Carolina Cargo has a terrible reputation on the web, except here. In this industry, attitude is everything. If you read the thread I linked to above, you will see how someone's attitude made Carolina Cargo a great time. I just spoke to the author of that thread today and he still sings high praises for CC. I hope you will learn something from this thread. If you haven't read Brett's book,Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving, yet, then I suggest you do. Good luck to you.

Big Scott,

Naturally people that write negative reviews are going to be disgruntled. That doesn't mean they're all lying, however. Most of the people that write bad reviews about movies or items on amazon are very unhappy with the product, and this reflects upon the product. Sure, some of the people that wrote the negative review had unrealistic expectations, or they used the product wrong, but that's why you look at the whole of the data.

In this case, the reviewer was probably so disgruntled he resorted to lying, and after this thread and investigating it more, I'm not factoring anything he personally said into any judgments I make.

But some of those disgruntled people? They have legitimate complaints. I'm not interested in wearing rose tinted glasses, and pretending everything in the industry is equal - that a hard work ethic and making good decisions alone is going to get me anywhere. While the happy rose tinted glasses wearers pushed the economy along all these years, their lack of attitude, and their willingness to bend over, has enabled the industry to pay considerably less, while also shoving all sorts of regulations up their bottoms. Some of the regulation is probably for the better, but some of it isn't. I don't expect the status quo to change, but it will be interesting to see them finally lashing out once they're replaced by automated trucks.

My interest in truck driving is different than most. it appeals to me primarily because it's one of the few jobs that will afford me some personal space from having to interact with people constantly. If I had kids, I wouldn't consider being a OTR driver for even a second. I would feel like a total failure of a father. I just hope all the rose tinted glasses wearers aren't going to be enabling more than I can possibly put up with in terms of utter nonsense. It's frustrating that they turn against more discriminating fellow drivers instead of against the system, but that's simple people for you.

Anyway, I do want to read Brett's book. I went to do it once and got fed up with the way it was broken up into tiny segments so I couldn't just lay down and read it all at once. I didn't see a PDF version of it. At some point I'll probably suck it up and deal with annoying formatting.

My interest in truck driving is different than most. it appeals to me primarily because it's one of the few jobs that will afford me some personal space from having to interact with people constantly. If I had kids, I wouldn't consider being a OTR driver for even a second. I would feel like a total failure of a father. I just hope all the rose tinted glasses wearers aren't going to be enabling more than I can possibly put up with in terms of utter nonsense. It's frustrating that they turn against more discriminating fellow drivers instead of against the system, but that's simple people for you.

Have you considered the fate of the people who have to interact with you constantly, like on this forum? If you dislike interacting with people so much, why do you persist?

By the way, all of us who are fathers, mothers, husbands, and/or wives thank you for telling us we are complete failures -- or would be, if only we had your high standards. But you are more discriminating and we are wearing rose tinted glasses. And you're right, for me at least turning against the system makes no sense. But I'm middle aged and those days are long gone. But hey man, feel free to fight the power!!

Anyway, I do want to read Brett's book. I went to do it once and got fed up with the way it was broken up into tiny segments so I couldn't just lay down and read it all at once. I didn't see a PDF version of it. At some point I'll probably suck it up and deal with annoying formatting.

Man, even the formatting of a free book is too much for you! You remind me of a guy I met in college who was a notorious freeloader and would drop by at meal time looking for a free lunch. The last time he did that at my place was when he turned up his nose at a cheeseburger I offered him. I haven't seen him since, and I haven't even thought of him in the 35 years since that day until you came along. I wonder why that is.

Bud,

Sorry, I guess that was over the top insulting.