diff --git a/openvpn/start.sh b/openvpn/start.sh
index c6166bc..4a40cde 100755
--- a/openvpn/start.sh
+++ b/openvpn/start.sh
@@ -7,14 +7,14 @@ check_network=$(ifconfig | grep docker0 || true)
 
 # if network interface docker0 is present then we are running in host mode and thus must exit
 if [[ ! -z "${check_network}" ]]; then
-	echo "[crit] Network type detected as 'Host', this will cause major issues, please stop the container and switch back to 'Bridge' mode" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S' && exit 1
+	echo "[crit] Network type detected as 'Host', this will cause major issues, please stop the container and switch back to 'Bridge' mode" && exit 1
 fi
 
 export VPN_ENABLED=$(echo "${VPN_ENABLED}" | sed -e 's~^[ \t]*~~;s~[ \t]*$~~')
 if [[ ! -z "${VPN_ENABLED}" ]]; then
-	echo "[info] VPN_ENABLED defined as '${VPN_ENABLED}'" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+	echo "$(date) [info] VPN_ENABLED defined as '${VPN_ENABLED}'"
 else
-	echo "[warn] VPN_ENABLED not defined,(via -e VPN_ENABLED), defaulting to 'yes'" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+	echo "$(date) [warn] VPN_ENABLED not defined,(via -e VPN_ENABLED), defaulting to 'yes'"
 	export VPN_ENABLED="yes"
 fi
 
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ if [[ $VPN_ENABLED == "yes" ]]; then
 	exit_code_chmod=$?
 	set -e
 	if (( ${exit_code_chown} != 0 || ${exit_code_chmod} != 0 )); then
-		echo "[warn] Unable to chown/chmod /config/openvpn/, assuming SMB mountpoint" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+		echo "$(date) [warn] Unable to chown/chmod /config/openvpn/, assuming SMB mountpoint"
 	fi
 	
 	# wildcard search for openvpn config files (match on first result)
@@ -37,9 +37,9 @@ if [[ $VPN_ENABLED == "yes" ]]; then
 	
 	# if ovpn file not found in /config/openvpn then exit
 	if [[ -z "${VPN_CONFIG}" ]]; then
-		echo "[crit] No OpenVPN config file located in /config/openvpn/ (ovpn extension), please download from your VPN provider and then restart this container, exiting..." | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S' && exit 1
+		echo "[crit] No OpenVPN config file located in /config/openvpn/ (ovpn extension), please download from your VPN provider and then restart this container, exiting..." && exit 1
 	fi
-	echo "[info] OpenVPN config file (ovpn extension) is located at ${VPN_CONFIG}" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+	echo "$(date) [info] OpenVPN config file (ovpn extension) is located at ${VPN_CONFIG}"
 	
 	# convert CRLF (windows) to LF (unix) for ovpn
 	/usr/bin/dos2unix "${VPN_CONFIG}" 1> /dev/null
@@ -47,32 +47,32 @@ if [[ $VPN_ENABLED == "yes" ]]; then
 	# parse values from ovpn file
 	export vpn_remote_line=$(cat "${VPN_CONFIG}" | grep -P -o -m 1 '(?<=^remote\s)[^\n\r]+' | sed -e 's~^[ \t]*~~;s~[ \t]*$~~')
 	if [[ ! -z "${vpn_remote_line}" ]]; then
-		echo "[info] VPN remote line defined as '${vpn_remote_line}'" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+		echo "$(date) [info] VPN remote line defined as '${vpn_remote_line}'"
 	else
-		echo "[crit] VPN configuration file ${VPN_CONFIG} does not contain 'remote' line, showing contents of file before exit..." | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+		echo "[crit] VPN configuration file ${VPN_CONFIG} does not contain 'remote' line, showing contents of file before exit..."
 		cat "${VPN_CONFIG}" && exit 1
 	fi
 	export VPN_REMOTE=$(echo "${vpn_remote_line}" | grep -P -o -m 1 '^[^\s\r\n]+' | sed -e 's~^[ \t]*~~;s~[ \t]*$~~')
 	if [[ ! -z "${VPN_REMOTE}" ]]; then
-		echo "[info] VPN_REMOTE defined as '${VPN_REMOTE}'" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+		echo "$(date) [info] VPN_REMOTE defined as '${VPN_REMOTE}'"
 	else
-		echo "[crit] VPN_REMOTE not found in ${VPN_CONFIG}, exiting..." | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S' && exit 1
+		echo "[crit] VPN_REMOTE not found in ${VPN_CONFIG}, exiting..." && exit 1
 	fi
 	export VPN_PORT=$(echo "${vpn_remote_line}" | grep -P -o -m 1 '(?<=\s)\d{2,5}(?=\s)?+' | sed -e 's~^[ \t]*~~;s~[ \t]*$~~')
 	if [[ ! -z "${VPN_PORT}" ]]; then
-		echo "[info] VPN_PORT defined as '${VPN_PORT}'" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+		echo "$(date) [info] VPN_PORT defined as '${VPN_PORT}'"
 	else
-		echo "[crit] VPN_PORT not found in ${VPN_CONFIG}, exiting..." | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S' && exit 1
+		echo "[crit] VPN_PORT not found in ${VPN_CONFIG}, exiting..." && exit 1
 	fi
 	export VPN_PROTOCOL=$(cat "${VPN_CONFIG}" | grep -P -o -m 1 '(?<=^proto\s)[^\r\n]+' | sed -e 's~^[ \t]*~~;s~[ \t]*$~~')
 	if [[ ! -z "${VPN_PROTOCOL}" ]]; then
-		echo "[info] VPN_PROTOCOL defined as '${VPN_PROTOCOL}'" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+		echo "$(date) [info] VPN_PROTOCOL defined as '${VPN_PROTOCOL}'"
 	else
 		export VPN_PROTOCOL=$(echo "${vpn_remote_line}" | grep -P -o -m 1 'udp|tcp-client|tcp$' | sed -e 's~^[ \t]*~~;s~[ \t]*$~~')
 		if [[ ! -z "${VPN_PROTOCOL}" ]]; then
-			echo "[info] VPN_PROTOCOL defined as '${VPN_PROTOCOL}'" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+			echo "$(date) [info] VPN_PROTOCOL defined as '${VPN_PROTOCOL}'"
 		else
-			echo "[warn] VPN_PROTOCOL not found in ${VPN_CONFIG}, assuming udp" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+			echo "$(date) [warn] VPN_PROTOCOL not found in ${VPN_CONFIG}, assuming udp"
 			export VPN_PROTOCOL="udp"
 		fi
 	fi
@@ -85,33 +85,33 @@ if [[ $VPN_ENABLED == "yes" ]]; then
 	VPN_DEVICE_TYPE=$(cat "${VPN_CONFIG}" | grep -P -o -m 1 '(?<=^dev\s)[^\r\n\d]+' | sed -e 's~^[ \t]*~~;s~[ \t]*$~~')
 	if [[ ! -z "${VPN_DEVICE_TYPE}" ]]; then
 		export VPN_DEVICE_TYPE="${VPN_DEVICE_TYPE}0"
-		echo "[info] VPN_DEVICE_TYPE defined as '${VPN_DEVICE_TYPE}'" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+		echo "$(date) [info] VPN_DEVICE_TYPE defined as '${VPN_DEVICE_TYPE}'"
 	else
-		echo "[crit] VPN_DEVICE_TYPE not found in ${VPN_CONFIG}, exiting..." | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S' && exit 1
+		echo "[crit] VPN_DEVICE_TYPE not found in ${VPN_CONFIG}, exiting..." && exit 1
 	fi
 	# get values from env vars as defined by user
 	export LAN_NETWORK=$(echo "${LAN_NETWORK}" | sed -e 's~^[ \t]*~~;s~[ \t]*$~~')
 	if [[ ! -z "${LAN_NETWORK}" ]]; then
-		echo "[info] LAN_NETWORK defined as '${LAN_NETWORK}'" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+		echo "$(date) [info] LAN_NETWORK defined as '${LAN_NETWORK}'"
 	else
-		echo "[crit] LAN_NETWORK not defined (via -e LAN_NETWORK), exiting..." | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S' && exit 1
+		echo "[crit] LAN_NETWORK not defined (via -e LAN_NETWORK), exiting..." && exit 1
 	fi
 	export NAME_SERVERS=$(echo "${NAME_SERVERS}" | sed -e 's~^[ \t]*~~;s~[ \t]*$~~')
 	if [[ ! -z "${NAME_SERVERS}" ]]; then
-		echo "[info] NAME_SERVERS defined as '${NAME_SERVERS}'" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+		echo "$(date) [info] NAME_SERVERS defined as '${NAME_SERVERS}'"
 	else
-		echo "[warn] NAME_SERVERS not defined (via -e NAME_SERVERS), defaulting to Google and FreeDNS name servers" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+		echo "$(date) [warn] NAME_SERVERS not defined (via -e NAME_SERVERS), defaulting to Google and FreeDNS name servers"
 		export NAME_SERVERS="8.8.8.8,37.235.1.174,8.8.4.4,37.235.1.177"
 	fi
 	export VPN_OPTIONS=$(echo "${VPN_OPTIONS}" | sed -e 's~^[ \t]*~~;s~[ \t]*$~~')
 	if [[ ! -z "${VPN_OPTIONS}" ]]; then
-		echo "[info] VPN_OPTIONS defined as '${VPN_OPTIONS}'" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+		echo "$(date) [info] VPN_OPTIONS defined as '${VPN_OPTIONS}'"
 	else
-		echo "[info] VPN_OPTIONS not defined (via -e VPN_OPTIONS)" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+		echo "$(date) [info] VPN_OPTIONS not defined (via -e VPN_OPTIONS)"
 		export VPN_OPTIONS=""
 	fi
 elif [[ $VPN_ENABLED == "no" ]]; then
-	echo "[warn] !!IMPORTANT!! You have set the VPN to disabled, you will NOT be secure!" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+	echo "$(date) [warn] !!IMPORTANT!! You have set the VPN to disabled, you will NOT be secure!"
 fi
 
 # split comma seperated string into list from NAME_SERVERS env variable
@@ -123,23 +123,23 @@ for name_server_item in "${name_server_list[@]}"; do
 	# strip whitespace from start and end of lan_network_item
 	name_server_item=$(echo "${name_server_item}" | sed -e 's~^[ \t]*~~;s~[ \t]*$~~')
 
-	echo "[info] Adding ${name_server_item} to resolv.conf" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+	echo "$(date) [info] Adding ${name_server_item} to resolv.conf"
 	echo "nameserver ${name_server_item}" >> /etc/resolv.conf
 
 done
 
 if [[ -z "${PUID}" ]]; then
-	echo "[info] PUID not defined. Defaulting to root user" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+	echo "$(date) [info] PUID not defined. Defaulting to root user"
 	export PUID="root"
 fi
 
 if [[ -z "${PGID}" ]]; then
-	echo "[info] PGID not defined. Defaulting to root group" | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+	echo "$(date) [info] PGID not defined. Defaulting to root group"
 	export PGID="root"
 fi
 
 if [[ $VPN_ENABLED == "yes" ]]; then
-	echo "[info] Starting OpenVPN..." | ts '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%.S'
+	echo "$(date) [info] Starting OpenVPN..."
 	cd /config/openvpn
 	exec openvpn --config ${VPN_CONFIG} &
 	#exec /bin/bash /etc/openvpn/openvpn.init start &