It’s no secret that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee doesn’t think too highly of the new Hours Of Service provisions, CSA scoring system, or the agency who brought us both. The chairman of the committee, Congressman Bill Shuster, has publicly scolded Anne Ferro, head of the FMCSA, on multiple occasions for going ahead with the HOS program despite not having any data to back up the claim that it would make our roads any safer. His remarks joined with Congressman Richard Hanna’s who previously called the data collected for the program “worthless.” Congressional confidence in both controversial FMCSA programs has reached a new low as the House committee is requesting an intervention from the Government Accountability Office.
If the GAO does get involved, they will take a look at the HOS changes as a whole as well as checking in to the research and methods that the FMCSA used to come up with the system. According to Shuster, because the changes have had such a negative impact on carriers’ and drivers’ pay and productivity, we should be certain that the changes are founded in real data.
“Concerns have been raised that these regulatory changes may have been enacted without proper data or analysis,” said Shuster. “And if the Administration is going to change the rules on truck drivers, we need to know that the changes were thoroughly vetted and will improve safety.”
The letter requesting GAO oversight was also signed by Congressman Thomas Petri of Wisconsin who noted that he “continue[s] to hear concerns from drivers and companies in Wisconsin and around the country about the impact of this 34-hour restart. We need to make sure the requirements are based on sound facts and actually improve safety rather than just overwhelm the industry with another onerous regulation.”
This oversight is the first concrete step that has been taken by the government to honestly evaluate these hugely unpopular programs, though Hanna, Shuster, and other members of congress have been calling for an internal FMCSA review for many months.
Next Story: CARB Gives $418k Fine For Illegal Wiper Fluid
Source: thetrucker, ccj, overdrive, ttnews
tim says
Just talk. Nothing will change.
Alex says
You people keep saying that, but this thing keeps on marching on in the bureaucracy to getting changed.
matt says
All this hos rule did was hurt truckers pocket books more then they already were, Also with these rules more drivers driving tired because of the restrictions if not more tired then before. Before all this crap I drove alert and awake after I was tired most my time out so I got out.
Kevin says
Couldn’t agree more. I used to stop and take a short nap in my day. But now I have to drive straight thru. And I have made less income since the new rules were inacted.
Brian says
The only reason that HOS rules hurt truckers’ paychecks is because truckers allow it. Stop working for ‘miles’ and demand your worth in ‘dollars’. Tell your companies that you’re worth at least $1000.00 per week (or whatever figure you feel you’re worth), whether they give you miles or not. If they don’t comply, then find another company.
Rob says
I say let us drive 70 hours within a 5-6 day period sleeping and eating when we choose and have a mandatory 48 hour reset. Most importantly, the Government must step in regarding wait times loading and unloading and company policy regarding letting drivers actually get the full reset and not pushed to meet impossible time lines.
Joshua Collins says
I like this idea, but would add to it a provisional licensing system. Prove you’re safe, stay safe, and enjoy significantly relaxed oversight/interference.
The new entrant program is a step in the right direction, but falls far short of accomplishing its intended goal. Up to eight months can go by before the first safety (kid glove) audit is performed!
Suggested New Entrant Policy:
Two, random (2-3 days notice, no extensions) safety audits and one compliance audit within the first four months of operation Carriers cleared to continue operating would receive one random compliance audit at least every eight months as well as at least two scheduled safety audits per year, for the following two years.
Not saying the regs are perfect either, but I’ll step off the soapbox for now. Cheers.
Charlie says
Which article were you commenting on? I didn’t see anything about the new entrant program.
John S. says
Exactly, Rob, stop paying dispatchers on commission for the # of loads moved. Stop assigning loads before the truck is empty. When a trip uses all of your hours, don’t ask us to run 200 miles to the next PU. Are you listening ATS?
Steven says
I love that idea. I think that every truck driver should get at least two days off to rest. Not only is it physically exhausting but more so mentally. We should have one day for getting us physically rested then another for a mental break. I also think that companies should pay their drivers by the hour for “On Duty” status and then pay by mile.
Joshe J. says
EXACTLY. By the hour. We make peanuts by the mile when you calculate it out to “actual” time spent working. Most days below minimum wage. It’s pathetic.
Von says
Bureaucrats fighting bureaucrats to get a bigger pie of taxpayer money for their local districts. FMCSA and the HOS-report being unbelievable flawed – as anything made by academics – we should not expect any change in the witch-hunt on truck drivers. The common man has no idea where the goods he needs from his local store come from. The only way to win this fight is to let the consumers bleed. Then the bureaucrats will bleed, too.
Deb Mathews says
My coffee losing breaks equals the the mandatory break. Ridiculous rule in my opinion! How many truck trips have these HOS rule changers been on to make these changes? When I was a kid, over 40 years ago, DOT had commercials about driving safely around trucks. Today, most parents teach kids how to drive. What mandatory supplements regarding commercial vehicles is imposed upon these drivers? There are more aggressive drivers in cars today who haven’t a clue about safe driving. Also, more stringent academi a and behind the wheel student CDL drivers. Just because CDL Driving Schools receive monetary assistance through state workforce commission (ex, Stevens and England) doesn’t make it OK to crank out new drivers just
Wisten says
If its so important to regulate our HOS .. Y don’t they regulate the work hours of factory workers ,steel mills , law offices , etc ..they too can work over 70 hours week and have to drive home tired !! Causing them to be unsafe !!!!
Don says
Let’s talk about doctors, nurses, law enforcement. How often do we hear about them working long hours without a break. A mistake due to weariness can also cost lives. Let’s regulate them as well.
Mike says
yea or pay us overtime LOL yea right, if we don’t stand together nothing will happen, its getting harder and harder to make a decent living in this industry anymore I’m looking to get out soon
royce dressel says
Well……. ok then.
Izzy says
Been on road 33 yrs. 23 as o/o.. with no at fault accdnts. Putting my 2 cents in….
The 11 hrs on & 10 hrs off is fine. The 34 hr. Restart was also ok till they added that 0100 limits on it..ridiculous .should of left it as it was originally without any if”s and”s or but”s.
Stop spending so much time just things from the drivers end and work on things from the shippers and receivers ends.. most of the problems to our driving times are developed by them.. they have very little pressure on them with getting us loaded in a timely manner as well as unloading..not all of them… but a few are pretty bad. Just went thru another one couple days ago. I grabbed a load that stated an unloading time of 45 min., i get there 30 min. Warly, get put in a dock, and 8 hrs later they finished. They unloaded in about 30 min. But i had to wait till they broke down the pallets ,sorted everything out and counted everything..something that shippers and receivers like these could learn from the big companys out there is just to unload us and sign our paperwork “subject to count” if any shortages later, they can take it up with the shippers, besides trucks are sealed and nothing we, the driver can do to fix it if shortages or damages. This kind of thing is what causes drivers to be in a hurry to try to make up lost time at bad shippers or receivers especially with the 11/14 hr ckock on us now. Uses up any extra time we could use to try and take a short nap should we need to thruout the 11 hrs driving time..
so why dont you spend more time figuring out how to get these bad practices from these few bad shippers and receivers. Make them pay big detention fees for holding us up these outrages lenghts of times..then they would stop there bad practices.. as it currently stands, for those 8 hrs of waiting ,keeping me and my $100,000. Equipment sitting there ,i MIGHT get paid $50.
J Brown says
That was a good post, and I just had to comment. I believe all they do are to make rules, not actually think of solutions and solve problems. I don’t believe in big government, but I wish someone in one of those organizations would look into to delays and things that hold us up. Back when we had the 24 hour clock, 10 hours of driving, I stopped and took little rests here and there. I always felt good. Must have been doing something wrong back then, because all I feel now is pressured a lot of the time, and frustrated.
Bryan says
The 11/10 is not fine. Back in the days of 10/8 one wasn’t racing the clock so to peak. When the parking break came on,the “clock” stopped as it should. All the 11/10 has done ,is to cause everyone to start hunting a parking place at the same time everyday,and causes one to spend more time at the calculator figuring out if he/shecan take the next load,or have to “short hop’ to husband hours.
Charlie says
I liked the 10/8 better myself.
Brent says
Some pretty intelligent posts on here. I thought us drivers were considered stupid by…well stupid people. Actually maybe we are kinda dumb for not banding together more for higher rates to counter stupid DOT rules and lazy union workers. *no offense to the hard working union worker that punches out at 5pm.. I’m an owner operator hauling grain and we don’t suffer too bad as dry dock guys racing to get there only to idle all night. I guess I have had to do that too. The more they regulate because of a few bad drivers, less will get done for more shipping costs. It should be like the old days where a driver could stop and take a 1-4 hour nap and be good for ten or more. Instead, I have to run that log out exhausted or not. Also, there’s no where to pull over in Iowa and many other places if you’re running 90K and have to stay off the interstate in favor of the bumpy, crappy two lane roads. You can tell legislators don’t have a clue what goes on in the real world and if they are supposedly getting advice from truckers on making rules, they must be shitty truckers with no real experience. Also some of these highway builders are stupid too. I bet they couldn’t even get a tandem axle trailer around some of these corners, if they could drive a truck at all, much less a big triple axle. They should be required to spend more time in the truck before writing laws for truckers. They’d sing a different tune, guaranteed. I haul a lot in the bakken too and every trip out I see a truck in the ditch, trying figure out how bad I would have to drive to duplicate their accident. Proving a shortage of good drivers so hang in there guys. Soon as I win a lottery or other windfall I’m done but I’ve been driving big stuff since age eight so I’ll enjoy most of it until then. You are all correct but it’s probably just us drivers reading this
Wendell says
Continue to write your congressmen and tell them you are dissatisfied with the Regulations. Enough letters will get their attention.
loaderman says
Are you stupid? Congressmen don’t read letters they cash checks.
Kajidono says
Write the letter on the check. That’s how the big boys with big cash get all the laws passed they want.
Alex says
Yeah, we should stop sending letters to congressman so we have zero voice in the capital.
Real smart…
James says
You have zero voice anyway so what’s the point
KCJONES says
These people who regulate the industry feel they must constantly do something, come up with stupid ideas, ruin the lives of hard working truckers, all to justify their their jobs, and their inflated ego’s and paychecks. This industry is the most over regulated in the country. Let’s see how well it would work to tell every factory worker, every salesman, every working person in this country,when and where and how often they could work and FORCIBLY IMPOSE all kinds of idiotic rules on them and see what happens.
I have been in this industry since 1971, and seen too many intrusions by the federal government to the point that only an industry shutdown by the drivers seems to be the answer. Let the public who is without consumer goods, fresh food, clothing, medication, etc tell the big wigs in Washington that enough is enough. These regulations for the most part are a crock of shit.
I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT EVERY TRUCK DRIVER READ A BOOK BY AYN RAND TITLED “ATLAS SHRUGGED”. It is the best novel that I have read that describes almost to the letter the current status of over regulation of everything in this country.
It’s not “WHO IS JOHN GALT”, but “WHERE IS JOHN GALT”?
Pat says
Ayn Rand died living off of Social Security and Medicare
Napper says
Its amazing one can’t have a nap, split the off duty time up like before, drop the two 5ams and let it be. Shippers/ receivers will get better or they won’t have carriers, just ask the freight brokers, they can’t find trucks.
Jerry T. Brownstead says
Put someone in charge of making rules that has no idea of what go’s on in the trucking industry give em a high salary and provide them vehicals and a cup of coffee and tell em to stick their thumb up their ass’es and rotate then you have the monkeys at FMSCA and up there in Washington D.C. Those folks don’t even know how to start a rig not alone drive one…All they are there for is to create new way’s the goverment can get into the pocket of the driver…They could give a rat’s ass about safety…I spend 39 years and 4,131,000 accident free miles on the road until I was medically forced to retire in March of 2013 (Diabetes)… If the goverment would regulate the dispatch practice’s of the Trucking Company’s,regulate the shipper’s and reciever’s loading and unloading times,and closely regulate the two week wonders coming out of these so called driving schools the industry would be a lot better off…They all whine about driver’s are supposed to be professional then they need to start treating them as such…Pay them for all the extra time spent at a shipper or reciever,Stop the increasing regulations on the driver..If they are professional then they should know when they are tired or not…Force by Law and regulations to make these Trucking Companies to quit using these driver’s to make that extra dollar that the driver may make .32 cents per mile while the company makes thousands..When a company is lead by Corprate Greed people get hurt and killed..Why because of the almighty dollar…It is far overdue that you quit going to the horse’s ass (Drivers) and go to the Horses mouth (Company)…If these company’s really stood up for the safety and welfare of their driver’s they would refuse to do business with any company that held the driver up more than 2 hours loading or unloading…They would pay the driver for their time…I have a strong thoughts that companies at least a lot of them may get detention time but don’t share it with a driver..Most of them lie about everything else so why would they tell the truth about that???Stay away from companies that run constant adds in truckers magazines and such as well as has lot’s of empty tractors in their lot’s at their yards…There is a reason for this…Companies such as Celeadon,Swift,J.B.Hunt,England,ATF,and such are the biggest bunch of liars out there…They will say and promise anything to put a warm body in the driver seat..But keep in mind they will use a driver then throw them under the bus so to speak…And you want to vote and elect these poloticians that keep appointing outright idiots to jobs they know nothing about??? Well there you go the driver is just caught up in the middle of all the B.S. that comes out of Washington these days…I hate to see an industry that I was honored to serve in for 39 years now being ran by idiots and taken over by Greed and steering wheel holders that are to damn lazy to shower,or walk ten feet to a trash can to throw their bottle of piss away…Yes I am so glad I made it to retirement and I can stay home and enjoy my wife and family..The little things that all these clowns I’ve been talking about take for granted…And we wonder why crap ain’t getting done…If you don’t know what you’re doing crap will never get done…God Bless and stay safe on the road out there my brother and sister driver’s…As for this retired truck driver I’m going to see if Obama will appoint me head of the air traffic controlers…They need some new regulations…And I figure I qualify as much as that bunch of idiots at the FMCSA…..JJ
Peanutcap says
It would not have gotten this far if someone wasn’t writing checks to get Congressmen to go after the CSA. The GAO is not a joke, it’s a major tool utilized by Congress to go after bureaucracies they’re fed up with. They’re the grim reaper.
Writing your reps here does help. This may not a particularly important midterm election because it’s a near certainty Republicans will keep the House and Obama’s remaining time in office will be spent as a lame duck. But, 2016 is huge, and momentum from this year’s midterms could do what the ’06 midterms did for the Democrats: build a super majority in the Senate with the House and Presidency. They’re wary of this, and incumbents don’t want to look vulnerable this year then face an onslaught of money in 2016 from their opposing parties’ coffers. Incumbents want landslides this year, so write them and tell them their support of this audit of the FMCSA buys them your vote this year. There are 3 million truck drivers, we’re a big voting block, it can make a difference.
michael says
I think Charlie daniels said it best {americans don’t want are need big government telling us how to live our lives or how much we can or cant work in order to support ourselves and our love ones. or what kind insurance we need or have to have all the government needs to is not let anyone invade us and pave the highways and get out of americans live} and I agree with him 100%
Mwhitelaw says
When the proposed changes first came down the pipe, i read them the whole while thinking … this is gonna effect the entire populace.
And i was right, it was only a matter of time before those in power saw the shortcomings in their coffers. We pay the vast majority of road taxes we as truckers, and when we feel the pinch, they get it too.
Most drivers out here only work 7 to 8.5 hours daily, so the break made no sense, the confines of the restart provisions were too tight, with all these changes it only took a relatively intelligent person to see it was going to affect the gdp… to the tune of millions of dollars. About 4384 million, Mrs. Ferro please stop attempting to please those that know nothing of how the economy actually works, and listen to those that truly understand how a simple change can make a significant impact.
HLeeming says
These people could care less if the rules are fair, or if there is any evidence backing their claim that this will make roads safer. If the government really wanted to make roads safer they would teach 4 wheelers how to drive saftley around an 18 wheeler, bet you don’t find that anywhere when getting your initial license. All the same rules they have applied to truck drivers are normal to a 4 wheeler. This is all about profit, with no regard to the effect it has on the truck driver.
Brian Van Ausdle says
I think what the real issue here is, is not the regulations so much as
a complete disregard for congressional leadership. These heads of agencies
Could care less about congress. It’s about agendas that are fueled by misguided
ideology and big government.
Frank says
I am a retired driver, but the best productive time I had while driving was the period of time when we could drive for 5 and take 5 in sleeper and then drive for 5 again. This just fit my sleep patterns because I rarely sleep more than 4 hours at a time anyway. I was felt better and I had way over a million miles on the road and NO accidents.
Geno says
This comment refers toAnne Ferro incompetence to hos laws. I find it in very poor judgement for this woman to in act laws with out proper proof . I don’t like when some one good intentions of safe proofing the world with out just cause plays with my lively hood. I firmly believe that her decision is wrong and the facts prove that. I think she should resign from her position due to abuse of her powers on more than one bad legislative decision. This country is a democratic country not a dictator type of government . This is unlawful and should not be trolarated.
John says
The “NEW” HOS rules are bad for Trucking, Truckers, Consumers, Truck Stops & MOST of all Safety.
Trucking Companies need to hire extra drivers & purchase extra equipment in order to move the same number of loads.
Truck Drivers are now forced by “REGULATION” to drive tired because the clock doesn’t stop.
Consumers are paying more because of the extra cost of moving loads.
Truck Stops are EMPTY because drivers can not stop and take a break because the clock doesn’t stop. (look at any truck stop seats are empty)
NOW FOR THE SAFETY ISSUE, The “REGULATION” has added MORE trucks to the road, driven by MORE tired drivers.
The FMCSA has said it would like to see “ZERO” Accidents (who wouldn’t) What world are they living in ? This a unattainable goal. HOW DOES THE HOS IMPROVE SAFETY ? IT DOESN’T !!!
The Professional Driver is the only one who can improve SAFETY
If drivers could drive when they are alert this would improve SAFETY.
If drivers could rest when they were tired this would improve SAFETY.
If drivers could eat and relax when they wanted this would improve SAFETY.
If drivers could “SCHEDULE” their runs this would improve SAFETY.
The OLD 10/8/15 rule worked for over 50 years so why fix what wasn’t broken.
We could drive when we needed to sleep when we needed to and eat and relax when we needed to, We could also stop and help other drivers on the road
without having to worry about “LOOSING TIME ON THE CLOCK”, We could stop and help a motorist change a tire without “LOOSING TIME ON THE CLOCK”.
Last but not least, If The Government was TRULY CONCERNED about SAFETY they would be MORE concerned about automobile drivers and not The Professional Driver since most studies have shown them to be at fault for most auto truck accidents.
Thanks
John T
Professional Driver 37 years ZERO preventable accidents
Rob Follen says
I sat through a safety meeting at my company when the new HOS & CSA were being rolled out. The company had a 2 speakers sent by our insurance carrier. The 2 speakers spoke quite highly of both programs saying they would get bad Truck Drivers off the road and at the same time bring freight rates up.
That second point perked my ears up because why would an insurance carrier care about freight rates? When it came time for questions, I was ready. I asked if the 2 speakers were employed by the insurance carrier or where they hired to speak at meetings like ours. They told us they were hired to speak.
I then asked who they were employed by and was told they worked for an association of carriers dedicated to the trucking industry. After a few more pokes by me they finally admitted they worked for the American Trucking Association. We all know who drives that association (JB, Schneider, UPS, etc)
Now, I’ve been in this business for about 26 years and here is what I believe is going on:
The big companies want the little companies gone. In order to do this, the big companies welcome all regulations to make it as hard as possible for the small operators to operate until they (we) get fed up and quit.
This will worsen the driver shortage which will drive the freight rates up and allow the bigger companies to continue to hire unqualified drivers at a premium wage which the smaller operators cannot match.
New regs and safety? I think not. The trucks I see most in the ditch are the big companies.
I hate to use such an over used saying but just follow the money people.
Btw, during that safety meeting the 2 speakers and the owner of the company shut my line of questioning down when they saw where I was headed with it. I quit that company after 13 years soon after.
John says
Iv’e said this from the start, look at everything JB has already taken over
bill says
Jb might be taken over alot of accounts but they pay me way better than most the company’s I have worked for.. I agree that they are. Trying to take out the small guys but that is biz…. I will make more this year than I have in the 20 years of driving except for my first 2 years driving otr as a car hauler and I am home 4 nights a week.. sorry u can’t blame jb for this…. biz is biz u can’t keep up then move on…….
IZ says
YES JB calls me every month to come lease to them, but I enjoy telling them to go fly a kite. If I wanted to be a company driver I would not have my own truck.
Ahmad says
If it will be 70 hours end and start anytime of the week, and 24 hours of restart, one break in driving period of 11 hours, 10 hours of off duty or sleep to drive another 11 hours I am for it.
Jd727 says
The biggest problem with this system is that you have people in offices making changes to trucking and not having a clue about what really goes on to get the product from one place to another. If this government wants to make real positive changes they need to put drivers in these key spots that have a clue. That is the only way the government will get it correct. Until then they will just keep getting it wrong.
Scott Sr. says
They called it deregulation back in the early 90’s but in reality it really just went from Carrier regulation to Driver regulation. Look at the two biggest mistakes made in this era of Driver regulation, 30 min breaks and once a week restarts.
Once a week restart is simply keeping drivers and carriers alike from doing business. Say you just got off your hometime and your truck breaks down 3 days later. Your in the shop for 2-3 days and more then likely your in a hotel but oh wait you cant have a restart during this lost time … Too Bad!
As for the dumbest it would be the 30 min break, at night your only choice is a on/off ramp or blocking a fuel island. Before last July I would stop on average twice a day during my 11/14 but now you have forced me to do both at the same time. So is that really safer? No because youll typically just sit in the truck and eat or snack which makes me tired as heck. So instead of stopping twice if I need it I can only stop once.
the e-log driver says
they will change the regulations when they find new ones they can make more money off of. so for now every one is stuck with them. the 30 minute break is worthless. I use to stop for 15 minutes every 3 1/2 hours. now i only get to stop for one 30 minute break. and that’s it. the level of fatigue i am faced with now. is unbareable. and i find i am in a much worse mood towards other people. pretty much it’s a struggle for me now to be nice to others. so let’s talk about the once a week reset. it doesn’t help with fatigue in the least bit. because of the new regs. i have lost 40% in income. which means, i can no loger spend a night of the 34 hour reset in the hotel. which in my opinion. did more to combat fatigue and helped me be a safer more attentive driver. now i have to spend 48 hours sleeping in the truck. which does nothing to help with fatigue or proper rest and relaxation. that’s something anne ferro or the other never realized. let’s talk about e-logs and the dramatic effect it is having. i loose 2 to 4 hours a day of work. in California or states where the speed limit in 55 for trucks. i take an additional 2 hour loss in work a day. or rather i work the same amount of time for less pay. now with e-logs. it’s about beating the clock. which turns out to be more dangerous then paper logs. plus i have added stress hoping i make it home, reciever before the clock runs out. when picking up a load or delivering a load. shippers/recievers still take there sweet time loading/unloading the truck. in most loads after the pick up or delivery. i can only go a couple miles to the first pull off or what ever is big enough to park a 74 foot truck at. and then i have to take another 10 hour break before i can move the truck. then i end up over working to make the appointments on time. which turns out to be dangerous. i am constantly tired. and that is no matter how much rest i have. because of the e-log i have to go park at the shipper or receiver for the night. in most cases that i have experienced. they are coming out and getting me before the appointment time. and then when they are finished. i have to leave the property before the rest break is up. sometimes in the middle of the night. so i am on the road sleepy out of hours with no where to park. and it’s all i can do to hope and prey that some drunk or sleepy motorist doesn’t run into the truck or cut me off. so when i do find some where to park. i have to start the rest break all over again. and wait another 10 plus hours. messing up the next load dispatch has planned for me. which makes them angry and makes me look bad. so it has become a daily struggle for me to hold on to my job for another day. and now i have to struggle with holding the job with low pay that in most cases just covers the health insurance bill i can’t afford. am i a bad driver? no. i am under bad regulations wrote and put in place by people that have no idea what they are doing.
wrote by the e-log driver.
wes says
FMCSA should be scrapped. Flawed rulemakings, junk science, complete disregard for the lives impacted by bogas regulation and absolutely no regard for the will of the people.
Tear it down, start over.
Ben says
Agreed !!! Start it over with the drivers who are retired with millions of safe miles under their belts. Put a Big team of those guys together and let them call the shots.
Ben says
At this rate drivers will be wrapped in so much red tape we wont be able to see the road
UturnGirl says
I agree with the driver who posted that the best plan for safety is to allow the driver to sleep eat, rest and work according to the driver’s needs. How can anybody else dictate what my body needs and when? The problem lies with those who profit from the driver’s labor. Shippers and receivers aren’t compelled to work with a driver’s hours. Many won’t let a driver shut down on the property or even provide a restroom facility. As for the trucking companies; they’re busy trying to invent a driverless truck so they can run the things 24/7 which is what they’d do to you and me if they could get away with it.
The responsibility for our treatment is ours. You get what you are willing to tolerate. Time to just say no to mistreatment.
WING says
Already invented and running multi trailer mine trains in mongolia… driver is a computer and human sets there as a technician. Also, truck/car convoys are already a reality, get in line behind the truck and your car sets in the convoy to get you where you’re going. The tech is here…just need to sell it to the public…as Google and others are doing in LA.
Bye Bye truckers……
Doug says
Nothing will change. Well, not for the better anyway. All of this could be stopped in a single day. It wouldn’t take a drivers strike to wake the government up.
If the owners of trucking companies would come together and tell the government, no trucks move until you get out of our business, and give every driver in this country a day or two off, the government would cave in. Instead, owners of your & my company couldn’t care less about the government dictating how the can run their own companies, because they pass the buck on to the drivers, and sit back and rake in the cash. Drivers won’t stand up for themselves and owners won’t either, so we get what we deserve, for being spineless sheep.
UturnGirl says
Great minds think alike !
Doug says
I’ll be retiring pretty soon. I feel for the rookies and those that still have many years to go. I wish them all the best. My advice to newcomers; go back to school and get into something else that isn’t government controlled. Last year I almost made as much money as I did in 1995. Anne is an idiot, in a very powerful position.
Y’all be safe out there.
Andy Moreau says
Back in May of 76 I left the Army at Ft. Wood Mo. I was a dozer operator and thusly I was required to haul my dozer to job sites. The tractor was a Continental 6 x 6 with a 903 Cummins. This was a 47 MPH top speed tractor through a two stick 5 x 4. I learned to drive tractor trailer the hard way is the point I’m trying to make. In May when I was discharged I was married to a woman from Montreal, Mo. So I took my trade and my skills and saught employment. No one had a bulldozer job available so I went to work for Prime Inc. They at that time were located in Urbana, Mo. Not Springfield. It was a matter of answering 4 addittional questions on the regular drivers license test and driving a 69 Ford LTD. around the block and I had a Chaufeurs license. Prime started me at .04 cents per mile back then. That’s right .04 cents per mile. Their pay hasn’t changed much through the years that’s why they are so large today.
Things changed around 1985 with the Surface Transportation Act. Thanks to Elizabeth Dole and others. The CDL and drug testing came from that. Now they in the disguise of Highway Safety started getting a little intrusive. And the snowball of intrusive keeps building. This coming month of May you will be required to get a DOT physical from a doctor of the FMCSA’s choosing. Your doctor won’t be good enough for them. When are you going to stop eating crap sandwiches? You say that you don’t want to be like the socialists of Europe but, you are willing to be like the drones controlled by third world dictators. I will retire soon and I am ashamed of you. Men and women without a backbone. How can you shave your face and look in the mirror at your spineless selves. The European drivers would not tolerate what you put up with. Shame on you spineless cowards.
Dont even start on the HOS , my God how stupid can you get? There are times when I leave home and fully rested but, I have no desire to go and I want to stop 15 miles down the road and take a nap. But, NOOOOOOO I only have 14 hours available and if I want to make a buck I must drive when I don’t feel like driving. Is this SAFE? And how about the poor smuck that comes down with that killer cold or ate the wrong thing somewhere and can’t get away from the rest room? And how about the times when you’re headed home and the adrenaline is pumping and you could not sleep if they pumped you full of sleeping pills? It is a joke , has been a joke and will always be a joke and YOU ARE THE CLOWNS!
joel romero says
Sad but true.. Makes me wanna change professions
Tim says
If there is any silver lining to the regulation requiring two 1 AM to 5 AM periods in the 34-hour reset, it is that it is the first HOS regulation of all time that acknowledges the fact that human beings are not nocturnal. It’s an unfair acknowledgement, so in general I don’t support the regulation, but it may at least serve as a starting point for something both fair and rational (the current HOS regulations are neither).
Will says
The government needs to look into force dispatching and adding regulation in stopping various companies from doing so.
frank says
All I know is that the hos rules hurt me more than help. I loose hours because I am not able
to rest or nap when I need to or when im too tired to drive because I am forced to continue operating
so that I remain in compliance with the rules.
I dont have a problem with the hos in general its the way you force compliance.
That and no two dot officers interpretation of the laws are the same.
Seems to me its just another way for the government to accept big money from special interests and
an easy way to force the owner operator out of business for good.
Send a lawmaker on the road with me for a couple weeks and see how they feel then.
george says
let them have their way. shipping will cost so much they will have no choice but to eat crow. if everyone has an eobr, this industry will have no choice but to hire more drivers and they will have no way of attracting drivers unless they offer more money. refuse to work for low wages and a eobr is not an issue. if you made 60k a year and had two days off a week at home, you wouldn’t care about an eobr. refuse to work for low wages and it helps you in the long run.
Boethel says
I would like to know how many of these pukes have a CDL, much less actually drove for a living to justify changing how I drive.
joel romero says
We can sit here and complain, we all know nothing. Is gonna change ever since they. Made all these. Changes. I’ve been making. Less money driving. Tired. It’s all bs…
Robert E. says
Anne Ferro needs to resign. And the FMCSA needs to be overhauled. All reportable accidents are logged as if the Professional Driver is at fault until he proves otherwise. She has stated that local and state accident reports cannot be trusted. And it would cost millions to review them.
In other words, if the professional driver is always at fault, She has no factual basis to start with. Or put another way. She has no way of knowing what the problems are. Much less how to address them. (By the way, the majority of four wheeler/semi. accidents are the fault of the “non professional drivers) How can she possibly make changes to anything to do with highway safety. Much less determine the effectiveness of said changes. The woman is clueless. and needs to go.