Drivers Confused by a Work Diary

It is a problem, a perennial problem in the trucking industry, and one which is addressed to a certain extent in this video, that is, drivers confused by a work diary, and the surrounding rules, and regulations.

We do have quite complex rules on driving hours, rest breaks and other items around fatigue management. We have a logbook based recording system where on driver has to fill out a page and draw lines on that page to indicate when they rest and when they work.

Sounds simple enough, but it isn’t, especially when there seems to be ever more complex ways of measuring the work time and the rest time, as is illustrated by this video. It tries to make the regulations and the way to fill out the logbook more easily understandable, and it does do that to a certain extent.

It shows graphically how you’ve got to think about all of these 24 hour periods which can be running concurrently. However, I would suggest that’s a really great in the middle of the day, when you have a clear head and are alert in the during the workday.

Image: Prime Creative

However, if you pull up your truck, after a long day’s driving, at 11:30 at night and park up in a dark parking bay with no lights and minimal facilities, maybe not so good. You turn on the overhead light in the cabin and decided it’s a good time to fill out the logbook for the day and to work out at what point you can start driving again after your upcoming rest break.

In those conditions, it becomes a little bit more difficult to calculate, and if you then add in the fact that there may also be another 24 hour period which you need to be counting as well, and in some cases, even a third. That may be an issue and it may not be quite as easy to work out as this lovely graphical interface suggests.

Working under the light in the cabin after a big days work big days drive, the driver wants to get some rest, but is trying to run through a series of parallel calculations. What this video does demonstrate is just how complex the calculations of driving and resting time are in our system.

One of the solutions that drivers can use is some form of electronic EWD, or even a log checker type device. Using that option is fine, as long as we know, very clearly, how to operate an EWD. Some of the EWDs can be quite complex systems to use. Almost as confusing as trying to work, it out yourself in your head, while looking at the diary page in the middle of the night.