WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

Sometimes I think the practice of due diligence as it is practiced within the trucking industry is really taken to the extreme. The practice of exceptional customer service on the part of a driver may be recognized as performance that requires corrective action.

I am talking about the log audit report. A report that recognizes only the black and white hours of service rules. It is a report that never recognizes the effort any driver puts into his or her job on a daily basis. This report is the greatest driver demotivator in the industry.

On my most recent audit I was in violation for 7 minutes out of a total of 225.5 hours on duty. That is just under .05 percent of the total on duty time. But because I was in violation in 3 different areas of the hours of service regulations I received an overall rating of 85 percent so part 395 of the federal motor carrier safety regulations require that I see my safety manager and that a copy of my audit be placed in my driver file along with any corrective action needed.

I understand my employer is required to follow this procedure whether they like it or not and I don't hold this against them in any way. This is a perfect example of how the majority is punished for the actions of a few.

Even though I understand this is simply a computer generated report that enforces every individual rule I still find it difficult not to feel that my efforts are being taken for granted despite knowing that this is definitely not the case.

In an industry that is constantly complaining about its ability to attract and hold onto quality drivers I am flabbergasted by its ability to throw up roadblocks at every turn.

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