Top 5 Reasons Why a Truck Driver's Daily Log Is Essential to a Trucking Company

Trucking companies keep America running. They deliver everything from the gasoline we buy at the pump to the fruits and vegetables that end up on our tables. Trucking companies are essential to our way of life. Truck operators spend days or even weeks on the road making their runs, but they have to comply with federal regulations and rules. Those have changed significantly in the past few years as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has put a greater focus on safety. Today, truck operators must fill out a daily log. Why does your company need to ensure this is done?

1. It Is the Law

First and foremost, it’s the law. The FMCSA mandates that truck operators keep notes on their travels over each 24-hour period. This is vital for recording their location, as well as their time on and off the road. It provides a written record that proves your company is in compliance with new rules about the number of hours operators can spend on the road versus how much downtime they receive.

2. Track Driver Habits

Another reason that trucking companies need to ensure that each driver is using a daily log is to track their habits and performance. It’s a simple matter to read each daily entry and find out information ranging from the distance traveled to where the driver stopped, for how long, and other data. You can then use this information to improve your company’s efficiency and productivity.

3. Determine Activity

By filling out a truck driver’s daily log, your operators can provide important information about what they do throughout each 24-hour period. Each day should contain notes concerning activities ranging from driving to fueling, loading, unloading, going through inspections, and more. You can also track mileage logged.

4. Enhance Safety

The new government rules and regulations were imposed to enhance safety – that applies to your operators just as much as it does to the drivers and passengers that your driver encounters on the road. By logging time spent behind the wheel and in rest, your driver ensures that he or she is getting the appropriate amount of rest and avoiding fatigue, and the problems that go hand in hand with that. It helps to eliminate accidents and can play a significant role in preventing operators from falling asleep behind the wheel.

5. Ensure Accountability

When a driver signs his or her logbook, the federal government considers them liable for the information contained therein. If there is no log book filled out, your trucking company could be held responsible. By ensuring that your operators are filling out their daily logs each and every day, you ensure accountability across the board.

As you can see, there are plenty of good reasons that your operators should be filling in their daily logs. It’s important for protecting them, other operators on the road, and your company as well.

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Source:

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/how-to-fill-out-a-truck-driver-log-book/

http://www.thetruckersplace.com/ddlinfo.aspx