Fleetowner 5814 Mercer Transportation Truck
Fleetowner 5814 Mercer Transportation Truck
Fleetowner 5814 Mercer Transportation Truck
Fleetowner 5814 Mercer Transportation Truck
Fleetowner 5814 Mercer Transportation Truck

Buying into logs

Nov. 5, 2015

Company: Mercer Transportation, Louisville, KY

Operation: A diversified fleet with more than 2,500 owner-operators hauling over 250,000 flatbed and dry van loads nationwide annually 

Problem:

With the dawn of CSA, several carriers had an eye-opening experience once their federal safety scores became publicly available. Some carriers, though, had a different experience: They had been performing well from a safety standpoint, but suddenly found the CSA spotlight shining brightly on another issue—driver log compliance.

“We had a [warning] triangle for logs since CSA started in 2010,” says Len Dunman, safety director for Louis­ville, KY-based Mercer Transportation. “We thought we could bring it down, but when the majority of your peer group is already using e-logs, it’s not that easy.”

Dunman explains that Mercer, a 100% owner-operator leased fleet, had not previously considered electronic logs because FMCSA’s focus was on safety. “We weren’t on them because we were graded on out-of-service numbers and our numbers were low; they still are low at about 3.1%,” he says.

CSA changed all that and Mercer needed to change as well. Dunman says that in September 2014, the fleet decided that it needed electronic logs to help bring those scores down. The mandate went out: Any driver leasing with Mercer must utilize electronic logs. But how could they make that happen?

Solution:

With a fleet hauling “just about anything” in the 48 contiguous states, plus Canada and Alaska, Mercer had leased vehicles operating across North America. Getting some 2,500 owner-operator trucks back to Louisville for the 30-min. install of  J.J. Keller’s E-Logs solution was not going to be an easy task.

The company settled on a nearly two-year implementation plan, requiring all trucks be compliant with the policy by June 30, 2016. To date, Mercer is routing trucks through Louisville at the rate of about 100 per month. With the process about 50% complete, Dunman says improving the hours-of-service compliance has “stopped the bleeding. It’s taken the trend line and it’s [leveled off]. Until you get everybody on board, it’s not going to go down.”

To date, Mercer only has plans to utilize hours-of-service reporting, Dunman says. The E-Logs solution allows drivers to manage their hours and the back office to monitor compliance.  There was fear that owner-operators, who generally oppose electronic logs, would leave the fleet. But that never materialized, Dunman says, adding that driver-recruitment efforts also have not suffered.

“We were scared to death about this, being an entirely owner-operator company,” he notes. “What we found, though, is that many [new drivers] had already been on electronic logs and didn’t want to go back to paper.”

The fleet also offered a free install for existing drivers if they volunteered to come to Louisville. That initiative expires on Dec. 31 of this year. After that date, all drivers—new and existing—must pay for the install themselves. “Obviously, I’d like everybody to volunteer, but that has not been the case,” Dunman says. “But we’ve had a substantial number volunteer.”

The company has also held “inspection events” to quicken the adoption rate, including a recent one in Appleton, WI, the home to J.J. Keller. The events offer drivers the chance to have the devices installed while also receiving federally mandated inspections by Mercer personnel. Driver training on the E-Logs system is also provided, most often led by Rob Curry, assistant safety director.

“[These] events allow our [drivers] better access to their required inspection,” he says. “The interaction our drivers had with J. J. Keller staff was invaluable and really helped support our E-Log implementation efforts.”

About the Author

Brian Straight | Managing Editor

Brian joined Fleet Owner in May 2008 after spending nearly 14 years as sports editor and then managing editor of several daily newspapers.  He and his staff  won more than two dozen major writing and editing awards. Responsible for editing, editorial production functions and deadlines.

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