Can any USA or Canadian drivers shed light on why no tachographs are fitted to US and Canadian trucks to record driving hours.Is it something to do with the constitution?
It is more to do with a backward country who still use capital punishment, threats of physical violence to its poorer citizens and where they cannot spell properly. 
Even in the transport world, they are primitive, it was not so long ago that truck brakes were an optional extra on the front axle. 
You wait, there will soon be some confederate relative trying to tell us that they have landed on the moon 
Cheers wheelnut.I would guess that the legal logbooks can be altered in a way to suit the needs for the delivery times.The US are hot on those weighbridges.
toby1234abc:
Can any USA or Canadian drivers shed light on why no tachographs are fitted to US and Canadian trucks to record driving hours.Is it something to do with the constitution?
Toby don’t listen too much to road talk, tacho’s, or more specifically ways of recording hours of service, in one shape or another have been used here in the past but were never brought into the drivers hours leglislation so as a result faded away more as an inconvenience.
Even now there are limited tests being carried out by some carriers using different forms of recording drivers hours, including electronically which does away with the need for paper logs, and it has been accepted by USA DOT.
It will come eventually but like the technology in the trucks it will be 15-20 years behind
A few of the mega carriers use ‘paperless logs’ already & anyone can if they want to, these are usually run through the ‘Qualcomm’ which is the satellite communication system that is popular here, some trucks have a proper tachograph fitted by the DOT to keep a proper check on companies with a bad record of log violations & they amuse me as they have the tacho nailed on the dash like the older British lorries used to have when tachographs became law in the UK.
It is possible to fabricate log books & the chances of being pulled in behind a scale are pretty remote, the scales are only open every now & again in most states & as long as you’re not on the hit list or overweight then you just roll on through, that said, if you have a big crash or the DOT get a hard on for you, the data from the afore mentioned satellites can be used to compare to your logs, as can your cell phone, sat nav, fuel/toll receipts, payslips (we’re paid by the mile) etc etc etc, so it’s not worth it, you may get away with it at a roadside check, but an in depth examination will drop you in the brown gooey stuff & if you’ve been involved in a fatal smash it doesn’t matter who was to blame, if your logs are out then it’s your fault & you’re going to be Bubba’s ■■■■■ for the rest of your life.
I recently had a log inspection in Minnesota & passed of course, picked up a $50 bonus from the company too as it increases our good standing with the DOT 
It may seem a daft question,but why do Canadian and US trucks have splitter gear boxes,with the high mileage you guys and galls do,do you get repeative stress injury,cos of changing gears.Will US and Canada ever use and import European tractor units,would they be better or worse to use in that transport outlook.
We already have some ‘European’ Trucks. The driving school im training at has 2 Volvo’s , although they do have crash boxes still lol. It isnt possible to just import a standard spec European truck over here. For starters the airlines are completely different, The trailers have no parking brake controls on them (they are operated from the cab). The trailer air system is completely different. As soon as you disconnect the supply line, the trailer air tanks vent their air to the atmosphere. We use different handbrakes over here aswell, Their is a lever that just applies the trailer brake (this doesnt latch in the on position) Their is a master parking brake, which when pressed in, applies the brakes on the tractor and trailer.
Teehee. Did you mean “there” ?
Eh? 
Glad the training is going well.
Keep on blogging. It interests us at home too.
Get yourself a flag ready for 1st July.
BJD
Backward for still having capital punishment■■?
Its about time the UK brought it back it would clear out a few jails and its cheaper to execute Ian Huntley/Peter Sutcliff and the likes than keep them in prison.
I would be first in line for the job of public executioner.
It may seem a daft question,but why do Canadian and US trucks have splitter gear boxes,with the high mileage you guys and galls do,do you get repeative stress injury,cos of changing gears.Will US and Canada ever use and import European tractor units,would they be better or worse to use in that transport outlook.
We don’t have to change gear that much because we aren’t grinding along in traffic all the time like in the UK except for Some of the big cities or a lot of the eastern US. I can drive for hours and hours with only the odd split change out of top. As for importing European trucks!
Are you serious? There is no way i would go back to sleeping in a narrow bunk in the cab right behind the seats again like in the Scania Topline or Magnums i used to drive in my old life. North American trucks may seem to be behind European standards of technology but the point is they are totally robust. I am writing this from a truckstop in Arizona and today i have done well over one thousand kms in blistering heat most of it through the desert. A few short months ago my truck had to endure cold of -40c. The trucks here manage these extremes without any modifications except maybe a radiator jacket and remember we do more miles a week than European trucks do kms!
wire:
It may seem a daft question,but why do Canadian and US trucks have splitter gear boxes,with the high mileage you guys and galls do,do you get repeative stress injury,cos of changing gears.Will US and Canada ever use and import European tractor units,would they be better or worse to use in that transport outlook.
We don’t have to change gear that much because we aren’t grinding along in traffic all the time like in the UK except for Some of the big cities or a lot of the eastern US. I can drive for hours and hours with only the odd split change out of top. As for importing European trucks!
Are you serious? There is no way i would go back to sleeping in a narrow bunk in the cab right behind the seats again like in the Scania Topline or Magnums i used to drive in my old life. North American trucks may seem to be behind European standards of technology but the point is they are totally robust. I am writing this from a truckstop in Arizona and today i have done well over one thousand kms in blistering heat most of it through the desert. A few short months ago my truck had to endure cold of -40c. The trucks here manage these extremes without any modifications except maybe a radiator jacket and remember we do more miles a week than European trucks do kms!
Well said that man, mind you I did a 3hr stop start through Chicago last week due to a mental thunderstorm & flash flood & my left leg was killing me, but that’s an unusual occurence, normally you keep moving along in traffic, even in New York so the clutch pedal is redundant & moving a stick is no big deal, it’s only what we used to do all day back in the UK before the big power trucks came along in the late 80s, I think I changed gear more on one trip to Italy with 250HP pulling 38ton than I have since I’ve been over here
As for Euro trucks, no thanks, the only one that would work over here would be a Scania Longline & Scania failed miserably when it attempted to break into the US market in the late 80s with the 'Torpedo" range (basically the original T cabs from the GPR range) Even a Longline would be no good really, there are far too many animals with suicidal tendancies for a cabover to be safe, no matter how strong it is, I think I’ll stick with my Pete 
It makes me smile when people say the trucks are primitive here. Mine has all the toys in it and is 6 years old. Power windows, power locks, aircon, lots of ponies, leather seats, bunk and engine heaters, etc., etc… It ay not be everyones cup of tea, the length is a pain sometimes and the narrow can is awkward, the rivetted cab panels and general finish appearance may not seem too great but it would knock spots off anything Europe has to offer. There is simply no way anything from there would cut it if you try to compare.
I know what you mean Rob, I had heard that they were old boneshakers & that is as far from the truth as you can get, I can’t remember the last time I drove a Euro machine & was able to lock out the seat suspension & these things over here have the cabs bolted to the frame at the front unlike the 4 point air suspension on the Euro stuff. Mine’s the later model to yours so my mirrors are on the cab rather than the doors so I don’t get the dreaded door rattle & it’s draught free too, as you’ve said they have to cope with some extreme conditions, temperatures that range from -40c to +40c & that’s being conservative, all without modification, a good single driver can easily do 150000miles a year & most of them go to over a million miles before they need a set of pistons & liners, they are also better on fuel than Euro stuff, I sit at 65-70mph & regularly get over 7.5mpg including up to 40% idling time, yeah we may run lighter, in the US anyway, but there are some serious hills that really hurt mpg, I used to be a tester for TRUCK & over our test route 8mpg was extremely good going, that was running heavier but the roads weren’t as extreme & I was driving by the book, here my philosophy is to drive it like I stole it
No I think the reason that the US trucks haven’t changed much in the past 20yrs is that they got it right 20yrs ago & if it ain’t broke… Mind you the 2007-2010 trucks are crap, too much EGR strangles performance, reliability & fuel economy, after all the whole principal of EGR is basically breathing ■■■■■ & I defy you to run 100yds while you breathe ■■■■■ from a tank, the silly DPF is also a really bad idea & it was only a sticking plaster. The new 2010 trucks will run SCR & they’ll be something else, all that technology wrapped up in a Peterbilt, it’ll be the truck equivalent of a Stephen Hawkins & Angelina Jolie lovechild
As for toys, check out the switches, every one of them does something so I got more toys than Hamleys 
There are another 6 switches to the left of the steering wheel that operate the lights, got lots of them too 
Ive never seen so many switches and dials on a dash before, i bet it looks a bit confusing when you first get into the truck. If the cabs are narrow, isnt it a bit awkward getting between the seats and the gearstick when climbing into the sleeper bit, (sorry you dont have to climb as your bed isnt right behind the seats). 
There is more room in the cab than there seems to be at first glance. Quite a few sleeper pods have their own door, so you dont have to manouvere around the seats etc. Handy if you have guests, and i dont mean the night entertainment that frequents the parking lots.
Look at the size of this baby!
Getting back to logs LOL
Paper logs are usually just fiction and put whatever you want in them
My company uses ‘E’ logs through Peoplenet system and I love it Just log on at the start and go, it changes from drive to duty and back automaticly but will only switch to drive after a mile is covered without stopping so if you switch to duty manually in a city providing you stop at lights less than a mile apart you will not use driving time I have left Yonkers NY and driven through the town all the way to I-87 and not gone to drive for 15 to 30 minutes, the system gives an audiable alarm at one hour before time is up, at 30 minutes, 15 minutes, 5 minutes and 1 minute to tell you to find a place to park. I like the fact that when I am an hour from running out of time I find the nearest truck stop or service area, there’s no “But you still have so many minutes left to run” from dispatch, they always agree to me finding somewhere safe and with facilities.
I love it.
truckersteve1:
Ive never seen so many switches and dials on a dash before, i bet it looks a bit confusing when you first get into the truck. If the cabs are narrow, isnt it a bit awkward getting between the seats and the gearstick when climbing into the sleeper bit, (sorry you dont have to climb as your bed isnt right behind the seats).
No I love buttons & switches me, the only dial that’s important is the speedo, which you may be able to see goes up to 100mph & not for show either, although of corse I never do anything irresponsible like breaking a speed limit in fact I usually cruise at 65 ish, but it’s nice to have a little extra
As Pat says some have more room than others, the classic style trucks, of which my Pete is one, have a cab not much wider than a car & for some it must be a bit of a squeeze, I’m 6’ 1" & about 16 stone & I have no problem getting into the bunk area, once I’m back there I can almost walk around, the bed is the size of a standard single so there’s none of that waking up in the night because you just headbutted the back of the seat, also they have lot’s of storage space to fill up with crap too
My Dad came over for a visit & we did a solid month together in the cab & apart from his smelly ■■■■■ it was no problem having 2 people in the cab
I like the sound of your EOBR Pat, I don’t think it’d work as well for me though, my 1st half hour sees me into North Dakota with it’s 75mph speed limit & well, it’d be rude not to make full use of it also we have a US Customs transponder fitted & the DOT have access to it so we have to mark the border crossing within 15mins of actually doing it, funny though, it takes 30mins to reach the border from my yard & no matter how long the queue at the border is I always finish my pre trip exactly 30mins before I cross the border 
this all sounds like a drivers paradise.
but what is the money like? you can get jobs over here, where you get a blinged up truck, but you can’t take a crap because you can’t afford the bog roll.
it’s a shame i can’t just swap my uk licence for a Canadian/US one, or i’d come over for a few months to see what it’s like before commiting myself.
my wife used to go on at me about moving to Canada, as she has some friends in a place called “Black mountain”. but now she’s gone off the idea. Weird arn’t they.
Having seen the sort of money Class 1 drivers are getting in the UK, I would think we take home more here, although we do have to work harder for it.
Sorry, I do because I am normally on deck. These reefer boys have an easy life…
And there is more to it. I have had 4 weeks on EI, that’s the dole/ sickness benefit to you… I get $447 per week on that. Had the accident happened at work I would get 80% of my average income from the last 6 months on Workers Comp. but because it was on my own time I had to sign off payroll and onto the dole.
I wonder if I would have coped as well going back to work in a Euro truck. I can’t see that I would have. I am able to stand in the sleeper, and the bed is high off the floor so getting in and out isn’t bad at all. The only thing that twinges with driving is manoevring in a tighter place when I am steering. Today I managed to drop and pick up 3 trailers, and pulling the pin was easy enough because they don’t have dog pins so I don’t need to stretch. I even managed to move the slider on the trailer, on my own, although that hurt a little.
Regardless, and back on topic, I hope they never go down the same road here as they have in Europe. Here, they trust you to know if you need a break, so they don’t need to track you. It means you can work your ■■■ off if you feel up to it.
Reefer work easy! Bloody cheek, funny how your shoulder injury doesn’t stop you writing your tripe on here
Money wise you get paid by the mile, so the more you do…
I get 38c per mile, last month I did 18574 miles (woosh) that works out to just over $7000cdn before tax & what costs you a pound costs me a dollar, so I live very well
18574 miles is not easy though, luckily my company does the East Coast mainly so I’m guaranteed good miles (at least 3000) on each trip, that’s not the case at all companies & I also do a lot of dropping & swapping trailers so don’t hang around for reloads, again that’s not always the case. Admittedly I struck gold when I found this job, but they are out there, just not at ANY of the companies that recruit staff from overseas, I’ve said it many times & BTD, Wire, Davelol66 & many others will back me up, any company that cannot fill positions from the Canadian workforce (Canadians & immigrants already here) is not worth working for, although they do make good stepping stones to a better life