This guide explains how to read the audit report, what the two log sheets are (the worked example and the driver's blank official log), and what to do with them. It has two step-by-step sets: one for how Nikole runs the hours for the team, and one for anyone using the tool start to finish.
Where the tool lives: timecardaudit.synergysafetygroup.com. Everything runs in the browser — the time card PDF is never uploaded anywhere.
1. What the tool does
You feed it an Employee Time Card Report (PDF). For every driver, for every day, it measures the on-duty window — from the first clock-in to the last clock-out, lunch included — and checks it against the FMCSA 14-hour rule. A day over 14 hours is only allowed if the once-per-week 16-hour short-haul exemption was available; a day over 16 hours is always a violation. Any day over 14 hours falls outside the short-haul exception, so it needs a paper log (record of duty status) for that day.
2. How to read the report
The five summary cards (top of the report)
| Card | What it means |
|---|---|
| Duty Days Analyzed | Total driver-days read from the time card. |
| 16-Hr Exemption Days | Days between 14 and 16 hours where the driver still had the weekly short-haul exemption available. Legal, but annotated as the day the exemption was used. |
| Violations | Days over 14 hours with no exemption left, or any day over 16 hours. These are potential 14-hour-rule violations. |
| Paper Logs Required | How many days need a record of duty status (every day over the 14-hour window). |
| Drivers At / Near 8-Log Cap | Drivers at 6 or more paper-log days in the trailing 30. At 8 they cannot run another day over 14 hours until one rolls off. |
| Drivers | Number of drivers analyzed (after non-drivers are excluded — see the roster note below). |
The report sections
| Section | Read it as |
|---|---|
| Exceptions Worked Over 14 Hours With No Exemption | The problem days. Each row is a driver, date, the on-duty window, the span in hours, and why it failed. These need attention. |
| 16-Hour Exemption Days | Days 14–16 hours that are covered by the weekly exemption. Eligible on paper — confirm the driver started/returned to the same location and stayed within 150 air-miles. |
| 30-Day Paper-Log Balance | Per driver: how many of the 8 allowed paper-log days are used in the trailing 30, when the next one rolls off, and the date they can run a day over 14 hours again. Warns at 6, locks at 8. |
| Paper Logs Required | Every day that needs a record of duty status, each with a Print log button. This is where the log sheets come from. |
| Full Audit All Duty Days By Driver | Every driver, every day, with status. The complete record. |
3. The two log sheets — what they are
For each day that needs a paper log, the tool prints two sheets, side by side. They serve different purposes and must not be confused.
Sheet 1 — The Example EXAMPLE / EJEMPLO
The answer key. It is pre-drawn from the time card so the driver can see what a correct, completed log looks like — grid line, pre-trip and post-trip blocks, lunch, totals adding to 24:00.
It carries a faint diagonal EXAMPLE / EJEMPLO watermark and the header says "Do not sign." It is a training aid, not a legal record.
Sheet 2 — The Official Blank Log
The driver's actual record of duty status. No watermark, all fields blank — the driver hand-writes their name, date, carrier, times, remarks and totals using the example beside it as a guide, then signs it.
That signed sheet is the driver's real, compliant log for the day under 49 CFR §395.8. It must show what actually happened, not a copy of the example.
Each packet leads with a bilingual (English + Spanish) "How To Fill Out Your Paper Log" page — why the driver is getting the sheets and 11 numbered steps. Language is set by the Paper log language picker in the tool's settings (English + Español by default).
The 30-day count needs history
A time card is normally one week, so a single upload can never see 30 days back. The tool keeps a saved paper-log history per company in your browser: every file you process adds its over-14-hour days to that history, and the 30-day count is taken against the history, not just the file on screen. Process each week and the count builds on its own.
Use the Log History button in the header to review what is saved, add log days from before you started using the tool, or clear a driver. Re-uploading a corrected week replaces the days inside that week. Until the saved history reaches a full 30 days back, a driver is tagged partial history and the count should be read as a floor.
4. Instruction Set A — Nikole runs the hours for the team
This is the standard weekly process: Nikole does the initial load and review, then emails the finished report with the paper logs to the customer or supervisor.
- Get the time card. Pull the customer's Employee Time Card Report PDF for the week.
- Open the tool at timecardaudit.synergysafetygroup.com and drop the PDF onto the upload box.
- Set the drivers. Click Manage Drivers and check only the actual drivers — drop office, shop and warehouse staff. This sticks for that company, so after the first week it's just a quick confirm.
- Review the report. Check the summary cards and the two top sections:
- Exceptions — real problems. Note the driver, date and reason.
- 16-Hour Exemption Days — confirm the same-location / 150-air-mile conditions held for those drivers.
- Export the report. Click Export PDF Report for the readable audit. Use Export CSV if the customer wants the raw data.
- Export the paper logs. Click Export Paper Logs to get the full packet (instruction page + example and blank sheet for every log-required day). To send just one day, use its Print log button.
- Email it out. Send the report PDF and the paper-log packet to the customer contact or supervisor, with a short note: which drivers had violations, and that each flagged day includes a blank log the driver must fill out and sign.
5. Instruction Set B — Using the tool start to finish (anyone)
For any team member who needs to run an audit themselves.
- Go to timecardaudit.synergysafetygroup.com. Nothing installs; it runs in the browser.
- Upload the Employee Time Card Report PDF — drag it onto the box or click to browse.
- Check settings (usually leave as-is): 14-hour limit, 16-hour exemption ceiling, 34-hour reset, and the paper-log language (English + Español by default).
- Pick the drivers with Manage Drivers so only drivers are analyzed. Skip this only if the file is drivers-only.
- Read the results: summary cards first, then Exceptions, then 16-Hour Exemption Days, then the Full Audit for the complete picture.
- Export what you need:
- Export PDF Report — the readable audit.
- Export CSV — raw data for spreadsheets.
- Export Paper Logs — the bilingual log packet (example + blank sheet per required day).
- Deliver the report and, for every day flagged for a paper log, the two log sheets. Tell the driver to complete and sign the blank one — never the example.
6. What the supervisor / manager does with the report and logs
- Read the report and note which drivers had exception days and which had exemption days.
- Address the violations — coach the driver on the 14-hour window and, where it's a scheduling problem, fix the schedule.
- Give each flagged driver their two sheets for each log-required day: the example (to look at) and the blank official log (to fill out).
- Have the driver complete and sign the blank log with their own actual times for that day. The example is a guide only — it is not signed and is not a record.
- Collect and keep the signed logs. The driver turns the original in to the office within 13 days and keeps their copy of the last 8 days.
- Watch the 8-in-30 limit. If the tool flagged ELD required for a driver, that driver has exceeded paper-log days and needs an electronic log going forward — raise it with Synergy.
This guide is an internal operating aid. It summarizes FMCSA requirements but is not legal advice; consult the regulations (49 CFR Part 395) or Synergy for specific situations.