After making my intentions known to quit my job, I have had a lengthy discussion with the owner of the company. I am going to keep my job because you can't find a better place in the world to work for and it seems foolish to quit just yet, because the mandate for the use of ELD's have not been announced yet.
My issue with the use of ELD's are; that the people that support these devices are telling us drivers to do something that they themselves are not willing to do. The FMCSA is creating impractical laws that are putting drivers in impossible situations and then they they are fleecing drivers for money by fining them and the companies they work for. A FMCSA auditor is nothing more than what a tax collector was for a king 100's of years ago. They intrusively enter a business and demand to see the books and then pick them apart assessing fines in the tens of thousands of dollars as a means to generate more revenue for the federal government. This is legalized extortion!
Recently an auditor walked into a trucking company and started talking to the owner in a bullying manner, then informed the owner that he never leaves with nothing less than a $7500.00 fine. This auditor concluded his work with a $7700.00 fine. This is not a fly by night trucking company, they are well established and work hard to be effectual for safety and in compliance.
These abuses aren't just happening in the trucking industry, they are happening in the airline industry as well. I once met a mortgage broker that tells similar stories. It's an issue for all sectors of business in the U.S. and due to Administrative Law it will continue to be an issue, because administrators of U.S. bureau's can change the law on a whim and chase after business's for penalties. This is occurring because Congress is dead and the American people refuse to stand up against it.
I feel some regret for not quitting my job, but I'm not quite ready to throw in the towel, just yet. What I do know, is that there are trades where a person can make twice the money with half the stress that we truck drivers are dealing with. The owner of the company says to me "you're a truck driver for a reason, John. The industry is changing and I don't agree with everything that is happening, but the revenue will increase with these changes and we all stand to do well from it." I disagree, I'm a man before I'm a truck driver and this man stands for principle first and will not sell out for money. Also, the industry will always be changing and the experience I have had is that the good, one would expect from change, never arrives. Harry Ludwig, a man I admired as a mentor in trucking, once said "nothing good in trucking ever last." I think he was right, only because drivers roll over and take it like obedient dogs.
The question is, will we be men and women of free will or obedient dogs?