I Drive This Truck
There is a lot of talk out there. People who are anti ELD are trying to tell you that ELDs will cause 
accidents. They say that drivers will drive recklessly to beat the clock. My response is consistent. I drive this truck. I make the decisions. We are all subject to hours of service regulations. Sometimes things come up, and you will exceed them. I have. It is rare, but it happens. With paper logs we could “fix” it. With an ELD, you explain it.
Take this case. I left Chillicothe, OH with about 2 hours and 10 minutes left on my clock. My plan was to spend the night in Brookville, OH. The distance is about 100 miles. It is almost all limited access highway. The speed limits are above my normal cruising speed of 63 MPH. There are 3 stop lights between Xenia and Dayton. That could mean a short delay, but not enough to not make it.
The ride went along on schedule. The stop lights were no problem. The construction on I 75 through 
Dayton wasn't bad. I made it onto I 70 with about 25 minutes left on my clock. There is a construction zone there, but with 25 minutes to go 12 miles, I felt pretty good. Traffic stopped. There was an accident in the construction zone. I watched as my 13 minute cushion disappeared. By the time I cleared the accident, I had about 6 miles to go and 2 minutes to do it in. This happens. Drive safe. By the time I stopped driving I was about 5 minutes over my 14 hour clock.
Be honest. Explain the situation. Brookville was the closest safe haven. That is where I went. When I shut the truck down and was still on duty not driving, I sent in the explanation of what happened and why I exceeded my limits. Then I did my post trip. Always do your post trip.
A few days later, I underwent a random level 1 inspection in Johnson Creek, WI. It was a quiet Sunday. I was pulling into the Pine Cone Travel Center for a coffee exchange. A black SUV made a U turn behind me, and followed me into the center. We had a professional exchange. He looked through the instruction manual for my ELD. I emailed him my logs for the previous 8 days. The officer went over my logs for the previous 8 days. The inspection was clean.
A good company does not “fix” electronic logs. They do not edit them to make them look legal. When 
you're choosing a company to lease onto, or drive for. choose wisely. Ask them what they would do in this situation. Pick one that is honest, and does things the right way. Professionalism always matters.
Never make the decision to speed or drive dangerously because you have an ELD. Things happen. Drive safe. There are times that I may pick my pace up a few MPH to make an appointment. The same as I did with paper logs. That does not mean breaking the speed limit, or driving dangerously. You are responsible for your own actions. The ELD does not drive your truck. You drive your truck.