Truck driver's recording system and apparatus

A truck driver's recording system and apparatus for recording the duty status, expenses, and daily vehicle inspection report is disclosed. The apparatus provides a plurality of preprinted carbonless sheets arranged in sets for recording the applicable information. The sets are arranged and prescored for separation. An inner cover is provided to eliminate an impression from being transferred to subsequent sheets, and an outer cover is provided for protection of the recording apparatus. A stiffening board is provided to prevent damage to the apparatus. A method of providing advertising space upon a truck driver's recording system and apparatus is also disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the invention 
The invention relates to a Truck Driver's Recording System and Apparatus, 
and in particular to a recording system booklet having multiple separable 
recordable sheets, a wrap-around cover, heavy board backing for rigidity, 
and advertising space on both sides of the cover, and on inner sheets. 
2. Discussion of the Technical Problems 
Professional truck drivers are required by the U.S. Department of 
Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration under the provisions 
of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations Parts 390 to 399 to 
maintain a written record of their duty status and vehicle inspections. 
The required record for each day of duty must include a complete 24-hour 
log including time spent off-duty and the activity at the time such as 
sleeping or driving. The driver's required daily vehicle inspection must 
indicate that certain vehicle components including brakes, horns, lights, 
steering, and so on have been inspected daily for defects. 
Many drivers have an additional need to record their expenses for tax 
purposes and/or for reimbursement by their employers. The personal expense 
records include the cost of meals, the cost of fuel and other maintenance 
expenses, the cost of telephone calls, lodging, and any other 
miscellaneous expenses. 
Since the driver is required to provide a daily log of his hours as well as 
the daily inspection for defects, a number of prior art log books have 
been developed which provide for space to record the required information. 
Usually those log books are soft-bound sheets which contain a place to 
record the duty status for every 24 hours as well as space to record the 
daily vehicle inspection. In order to provide necessary copies, the prior 
art log books utilize carbon paper inserted between multiple printed pages 
so that a single impression would create one or more copies. 
Although the driver is only required to keep a record of daily duty status 
as well as a daily vehicle inspection report, it would be highly 
convenient to also keep a record of personal expenses of the driver in the 
same location as the required records. The driver can, by filling out a 
complete form every day, insure that he has complied with the regulations 
of the Department of Transportation as well as provide a contemporaneous 
recording of expenses for the reporting of income tax and/or for 
reimbursement from his employer. It would also be convenient if the 
Driver's Record of Duty Status and the Driver's Daily Vehicle Inspection 
Report could be separated from the Driver's Personal Expenses by simply 
separating those reports after they have been recorded. Further to enhance 
the convenience of the recording requirements of the professional truck 
driver, such a recording system should include a means by which at least 
two copies can be made from a single impression made by the driver for 
each day. 
While the above conveniences should be provided in a system for recording 
the necessary information of professional truck drivers while they are 
engaged in their occupation, it would also be convenient that such a 
recording system could be provided to a driver at no cost. In order to 
provide such a no-cost recording system, the apparatus used for recording 
should be provided with space for advertising. Advertising space should be 
in a convenient yet readily noticeable position on the apparatus. If such 
advertising space were made available, then the cost of producing and 
distributing the truck driver's recording system could be borne by the 
advertisers and not the drivers. 
No known examples of recording systems or apparatus for professional truck 
drivers to record their duty status and daily vehicle inspection report in 
a convenient, multiple-page recording along with space for recording the 
driver's expenses have been discovered. Furthermore, no system is known 
that provides such a driver's log with space for advertising so that the 
system is provided to drivers free of charge. 
Accordingly, a need exists for a Truck Driver's Recording System and 
Apparatus that would provide a convenient multiple-copy, easy-to-separate 
record of duty status, daily vehicle inspection report, and driver's 
personal expenses. Furthermore, a need exists for such an apparatus having 
space for advertising so that the recording system can be distributed free 
of charge to the professional driver. The instant invention is directed to 
all of these needs as well as to others as explained in the following 
summary. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is a feature of the instant invention to provide a truck driver's 
recording system and apparatus. 
It is another feature of the instant invention to provide a truck driver's 
recording system having an apparatus providing multiple copies of the 
driver's expenses, the driver's record of duty status, and the driver's 
daily vehicle inspection report. 
It is another feature of the instant invention to provide a truck driver's 
recording system having an apparatus providing multiple copies of the 
driver's expenses, the driver's record of duty status, and the driver's 
daily vehicle inspection report which record of driver's expenses, 
driver's record of duty status, and daily inspection report can be 
separated without further equipment. 
It is another feature of the instant invention to provide a truck driver's 
recording system and apparatus having advertising space available on 
multiple pages attached to the apparatus. 
These and other features and objects are attained according to the instant 
invention by providing a driver's recording system and apparatus having a 
series of printed log pages made of carbonless paper in multiple sets of 
three. The system utilizes 31 sets of three carbonless paper log pages per 
booklet. The booklet can be used by a driver for a month by having such a 
set of 31 in each booklet. The apparatus further includes a cover sheet 
having space available on front and back for advertising as well as 
multiple sheets of paper prior to the log pages, which sheets can also be 
utilized for advertising space. An inner wrap-around cover is printed so 
that the driver can place the inner cover between each set of log pages as 
needed to prevent the driver from writing through to subsequent log pages. 
The wraparound cover is also provided with space for advertising. The 
advertising space in the driver's record recording system and apparatus 
allows the driver to be provided the recording system and apparatus free 
of charge. The log pages are further provided with easily tearable 
separations on each page to separate the driver's expenses from the 
driver's record of duty status and the driver's daily vehicle inspection 
report. The driver's daily vehicle inspection report is further separable 
from the driver's record of duty status by being pre-scored on each of the 
log pages. The perforation is provided between the driver's expenses 
section, the driver's record of duty status section, and the driver's 
daily vehicle inspection report. A rigid board backing is provided between 
the wrap-around cover and the lowestmost log page in order to insure that 
the driver's record is not damaged.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The Driver's Recording System and Apparatus of the instant invention is 
depicted generally in FIG. 1 at numeral 10. As can be seen by reference to 
FIG. 1, the invention 10 provides a number of printed pages 17 which are 
enclosed in a wrap-around cover 24. The wrap-around cover 24 includes a 
outer cover sheet 11 of a material having some stiffness such as card 
stock or the like. The inner cover sheet 12 of the wrap-around cover 24 is 
provided to be inserted between the sets of printed sheets 17 so that the 
impression made by a writing instrument such as a pen or pencil will not 
record on subsequent sheets. Printed sheets 17 are made of carbonless 
paper which provide an impression on subsequent sheets without the use of 
carbon paper. 
On the printed sheets 17, it can be seen from reference to FIG. 1 that the 
printed sheet 15 is divided into three separate portions: an upper 
driver's expense portion 13, a middle driver's record of duty status 14, 
and a lower driver's daily vehicle inspection report 16. Prescored or 
perforated on each printed sheet 15 are lines 22 and 23 to separate the 
three sections 13, 14, and 16 into their respective parts. 
As can be seen by careful reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, wraparound cover 
sheet 24 provides an outer cover 11 and inner cover 12 which both have 
space available for advertising to be printed thereon. Cover sheet 24 is 
bound to the spline only, and is not attached at front edge 19. With 
reference to FIG. 2, it is contemplated that additional sheets 21 can be 
provided under cover sheet 11 to provide additional advertising space as 
needed without interfering with the use of the apparatus 10. 
With reference to FIG. 3, it can be shown that the printed portion 15 of 
the invention 10 includes three sections: driver's personal expenses 13, 
driver's record of duty status 14, and driver's daily vehicle inspection 
report 16. Those three sections 13, 14, and 16 are divided by prescored 
easily separated score lines 22 and 23 which allow the user to separate 
the three sections 13, 14, and 16 from each other by grasping and pulling 
them apart. 
With reference to FIG. 4 where it can be seen that wrap-around cover 24 is 
shown in place with outer top cover 11 having an additional advertising 
sheet 21 and inner cover 12. Inner cover 12 is placed underneath printed 
set 45 which includes a top original sheet 31, middle duplicate sheet 32, 
and lower driver's copy sheet 33. Set 45 is made of carbonless paper; that 
is, no carbon is required to make an impression from one sheet to another. 
When the driver wishes to record on set 45, which would be the needed set 
for a single day, he simply inserts inner lower cover 12 between set 45 
and the subsequent set 55 as depicted in FIG. 4. By so inserting inner 
cover 12, he would not record below to set 55 or lower when writing on set 
45. As is shown in FIG. 4, sets 45, 55, and 65 make up a complete driver's 
record for three days. Between every three sets 45, 55, and 65, an 
additional inner advertising sheet 34 is provided which contains 
additional advertising space to be brought to the attention of the driver. 
In the preferred embodiment, the apparatus 10 includes 31 sets of three 
printed log sheets as depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 and includes one inner 
advertising sheet 34 between every three sets. 
Wrap-around cover 24 is made of heavy card stock and contains advertising 
on all sides as it is only attached at upper end 36 as depicted in FIG. 1 
and FIG. 4. Binding end 36 binds all sets of log sheets, lower stiffening 
board 35, and wrap-around cover 24 along with additional upper advertising 
sheets 21 and inner advertising sheets 34 to make a complete semi-rigid 
record. Lower stiffening board 35 is comprised of a stiff board or 
cardboard and could contain advertising; however, in the preferred 
embodiment, no advertising is provided on lower stiffening board 35. 
The sizes of the sheets of paper, card stock, and cardboard as utilized in 
the driver's recording system and apparatus 10 could vary substantially 
while still remaining within the scope of the invention. However, in the 
preferred embodiment the log sheets are 81/2".times.12" and the 
wrap-around cover 24 is 81/2".times.36" and is printed on both sides with 
advertising. 
It is contemplated that the 31 sets of log sheets could be either a triple 
set as previously described or a double set in which there would be an 
original 31 and a driver's copy 33 and not a third duplicate sheet 32. The 
duplicate sheet 32, it is contemplated, in a set of three would be for the 
records of the driver's employer. 
Although specific applications, materials, components, sequences of events, 
and methods have been stated in the above description of the preferred 
embodiment of the invention, other suitable materials, other applications, 
components, and process steps as listed herein may be used with 
satisfactory results and varying degrees of quality. 
In addition, it will be understood that various other changes in details, 
materials, steps, arrangements of parts and uses which have been herein 
described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention 
will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art, upon a reading 
of this disclosure, and such changes are intended to be included within 
the principles and scope of this invention as hereinafter claimed.