Time of Duty Calculator Saves Time and Improves Quality

Item #: 20240043

CONTACTS

Implementing Organization: Motor Carrier
Implementation Lead: Michael Anderson, Perry Port of Entry
Development Team: Michael Anderson, Debra Olsen, Byron Stuart, Robert Pinedo, Morgan Lewis, Cheyenne Enns, Jeanette James, Whitney Tisher

Article Written By: Byron Stuart
Innovation Council Liaison: Byron Stuart
Innovation Team Coordinator: Quinten Klingonsmith

STATUS

Implementation Date: December 2, 2023
Adoption Status: Fully Implemented
Adoptability Note: What sort of calculator could your team use to improve quality, reduce time, and make your job easier?

APPLIES TO

Topic: Data Collection, Analysis and Visualization
Organization(s): UDOT (all)
Job Role(s): Business Analyst, Construction Engineer, Finance / Accounting, Motor Carrier Employee, Program Director, Program Manager, Program Specialist, Roadway Operations / IMT, ROW / Permits, Transportation Technician
Tags: highway transportation, labor productivity, employee empowerment, job satisfaction, economic benefits, value of time, automation, ( process improvement ), ( simplification ), accounting > billing, budgeting, payment, ( comptroller ), governance > auditing, policy making, procedures, compliance, law, ( legal ), information technology >> software, networks, ( data visualization ), law enforcement > port of entry ( POE ), ( motor carrier ), traffic safety > highway safety, trucking safety, time of duty, driver, log, quality of life, user benefits

PROBLEM

Motor Carrier inspections calculate and verify a commercial truck driver’s total time on duty. At times inspectors find errors or falsified driver’s logs.

When problems are found, it takes 30 to 60 minutes to determine a driver’s hours on duty, which involves intensive math calculations that are prone to error. When agents find that drivers are over their allotted work time, they must also calculate whether the driver is out of service and for how long.

CHANGE

The Time of Duty Calculator was created using readily available tools such as Appsheets and Google Sheets. Agents enter a driver’s time from their log and the app calculates their total on-duty time. The app indicates how long a driver should be out of service if their duty time exceeds the allotted limits. Other tools are available in the app to assist with calculations.

RESULT

Not all time-of-duty calculations are complex, but when they are, agents have reduced their calculations to 5 minutes, which is a significant time-saving. Agents appreciate being spared the intensive math calculations and have greater confidence in their results. Because they trust the numbers, agents have expressed less anxiety when writing 70/60 Hour and False-log violations. The app provides cleaner and more presentable documentation or evidence to be uploaded for violations.

Drivers have directly benefited from shorter inspections and greater accuracy. When violations are found, drivers are shown calculations in a presentable manner which helps improve their understanding and reduce stress.