Drivers Daily Log Program (DDL) - Is It Worth The Hassle?

I get alot of questions concerning DDL, or the Drivers Daily Log Program. It is a program that's goal is to make logging easier for the driver. My problem with the program is that in my situation it does not do this. Since my goal with a computer in a truck is to make things easier, I do not promote this software product.

First off, let me say that the program is a really cool idea and it does accomplish it's goal of computerizing the truck driver's log book - a little bit. The program's creator is a talented programmer, but the last time I checked, Drivers Daily Log only partially fulfills the goal of having a driver do his log book on the computer.

A log book is a document with the final purpose of communicating to legal authorities the operations that a driver performs. This document is stored for later reference. A driver simply logs his activities and uses the log as a reference to ensure he is within legal parameters. He must submit these logs to his company or retain them for his own use if he is a private contractor. It is a simple document to maintain with pen and paper.

I have been doing logbooks since 1990 and the match comes very easily in my head with few errors. My penmanship is good enough that I do get many complaints from those who read my logs. It takes only a few seconds to make an entry into my log and it is readily available if requested by authorities. It can take more than a few minutes to make a simple entry with Drivers Daily Log if I do not already have the laptop up and running.

Drivers Daily Log or "DDL" is done on a laptop. This laptop must be operating to access the log, if it's not, I'm effectively running without a logbook, a serious offense. Also -

• Actions of the program are a bit quirky due to the unique properties of the program. There's no other program like it, so the average driver must learn new skills to do a very basic operation.
• The documentation, in my opinion, is a little bit confusing. There is quite a bit of trail and error involved in learning the program.
• There is no easy method of sending an image of the document to a user. You can only print the document (this may be changed). If the author does add this functionality, the user will need to learn about imaging, PDF's, etc. In many cases, the companies would need trained also. From what I understand, the company is required to purchase another proprietary product from the author to read the log. If you must print them, now you need a space wasting printer in the truck.
• Price - this thing is fairly expensive, about $95.
• The company website, like the documentation,  is sketchy and hard to follow. I don't like to see the "bug report" and user forum on software that is this expensive. I want real documentation and a well designed website. This website is very much like the Open Source projects that I use, but Open Source is generally free and/or inexpensive.
• The proprietary nature of the program limits it's usability with other common programs. The output from this program is not easily portable to programs like OpenOffice or Microsoft Office.

I'm not saying not use DDL, I'm saying it's not what some people would claim it to be. If you're having trouble with math or penmanship, this program could improve your performance and reduce the risks of fines due to log book violations. If you're company is onboard with this company and is laying out the investment, sure go along and use it. For a driver in my situation, Drivers Daily Log software can create problems instead of solving them.

The program is evolving and I look for competition in this market to improve trucking software like this soon. I will keep looking for other solutions that meet or exceed the need. Sometimes waiting a on a full solution is better than accepting a half-solution.