Hi-tech truckers and paperless logs

By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 2004-10-15

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Some truck drivers don't have to pull out a pen and painstakingly log their driving times on paper. They hit a button on their keyboard and their log is automatically updated back at company headquarters. Werner Enterprises is a truckload motor carrier of general commodities in both interstate and intrastate commerce. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, it is the only carrier in the United States to receive authorization from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to initiate paperless logs using satellite-based technology.

Each of the company's trucks has a Qualcomm satellite-linked keypad and screen that connects the driver and the truck to the company's operations center in Omaha. Werner began installing Qualcomm satellite connections in its trucks in 1992. In 1995, the company began testing the Paperless Log System, while continuing use of the traditional paper logbooks. In 1998, The Federal Highway Administration officially authorized the company's adoption of the Paperless Log System and the paper logs were phased out.

"The logs are stored on the mainframe at the company's Omaha headquarters, says Mike Franzen, Werner's logging supervisor. When drivers gets back into the cab to drive they simply push the "Start Drive Time" button. When finished driving they hit the "Stop Drive Time" button. The information is transmitted to qualcomm in San Diego and then to Werner's computer for recording and storage.

The system has many advantages, for Werner Enterprises, its clients and the drivers. It includes GPS capability so that the truck's location is recorded as the drive’s information is transmitted. The information helps the company project drivers' estimated arrival times. It also helps drivers plan their trips more efficiently and improve customer service. Because of better planning, Werners maintains, the system enables managers to preplan and assign loads based on accurate, future, and available driving hours. This, they say, allows drivers to maximize their time on the road and increase their miles rather than decreasing them.

Werner has two "million dollar technology trucks" which it has equipped as instructional vehicles and sends around to truck driving schools across North America.

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