A proposed fix to the broken 34-hour restart rule is under attack for being needlessly complicated, counterproductive, and potentially unsafe.
When the July 2013 restart rule was suspended last year, the wording that was used left an odd loophole which could potentially leave drivers without the ability to take a 34-hour restart at all. The DOT proposed a budget bill that would include a fix to the previous oversight, but adds on a new clause that would make it so “a driver who uses that restart rule may not drive after being on duty for more than 73 hours in any period of 7 consecutive days.”
It seems that groups on every side of the driver fatigue and safety debate are having problems with the proposed rule.
Safety groups say it doesn’t go far enough in limiting the number of hours a driver can work during a week. “Unfortunately, the change made to the HOS Rule does nothing to address the serious problem of cumulative fatigue,” said Cathy Chase, VP of Governmental Affairs for the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety according to Fleetowner.
Meanwhile The Trucking Alliance, a group representing large carriers, has said that the cap of 73 hours in a 7-day period isn’t based off of sound science. It argues that no changes should be made to restart rules before data on restart options and HOS compliance can be collected and studied. The Alliance also says that the bill could accidentally overwrite existing rules, create confusion, and have the unintended consequence of actually increasing the number of hours some drivers would be able to work in a week.
The new rule would only go into effect if the FMCSA is unable to prove that the restart rule changes it made in July of 2013 actually had resulted in a “demonstrated statistically significant improvement” in highway safety.
Source: truckinginfo, gobytrucknews, overdrive, fleetowner
Scrapiron says
To all: especially to the rule makers!
Al
Drivers and companies can get more miles per day and meet supply and demand of the this nation, if the old rules of 8 hours on duty and 8 hours off. This allows up to 16 hours of totalk driving. It also gives the driver options for when they can implement the 34 hours off. My lord pay attention you rule makers are going to hamstring the trucking industry to the point that no trucks will move more than an average of 300 miles a day. Do the math!!! It’s not rocket science.
AL says
Turning us into standard 9 to 5 workers is the goal
Randy says
I think 9 to 5 is a nice number, how many times you get to shipper or receiver and your time is of no importance, you think companies care about restart, then you quit paying attention in class, go back to 34 hour restart with two consecutive days, less time in the truck makes you more of a asset than if companies get their way and you have nothing but time in the truck and still don’t make any money.
Andrew says
With freight going more and more “just in time”, constricting the hours of service will just complicate things further. I’ve never done it, but I respect those drivers who choose to run fudged paper logs because quite frankly, they’re the ones who really are keeping America moving, regardless of their motives. Most people are quite aware when they’re tired and when they’re not, and I am certain there are more traffic incidents caused by cell phone using cars, than tired trucks.
Driver says
No one, without at least 20 years experience behind the wheel should be allowed to even sit in the room where these laws are dreamed up..desk sitting does not give the experience to judge or make these laws…
TBear says
Want to fix the problem?
Go back to the old rules!
10 on duty 8 off/sleeper.70/8 , the whole industry ran fine back then, why did you all have to go mess with something that wasn’t Broke?
Educated the car drivers on how to operate around larger vehicles , statistics show the passenger car is at fault 90% of the time when it comes to accidents with big trucks. Why shove all these stupid rules that don’t make sense down the truckers throats, when we are only 10% of the problem?
steven k says
Simplest hos rule would be 12 on 12 off. 84 hours a week and no recap is needed because driver can split the 12 as say 6 on 6 off or 4/4 etc. Also EVERY DRIVER WITH EVERY COMPANY EVERY DAY would have the exact number of hours to work with every day when they start. This would simplify schedules because the driver is on a 24 hour schedule like the world and the economy. Also dispatchers know every day the exact same number of drivers can have 12 hours ready when they wake up.
Their 12 hours covers everything in the day between line 3&4. Also to prevent fatigue ad a stand by line 5 that when a driver wakes up in the morning waiting for a load, he starts there as one hour of waiting on line 5 for a load is the same cost of alertness as driving. When he gets a load that day, line 5 is subtracted from the 12 available in line 3&4 until he gets twelve hours off in the next cycle. So if he waits seven hours he has five to drive and work until he shuts down. This would help delay the biggest cause of fatigue which without a load is wait all day or night awake so I can drive all night or day.
Nothing says alert driver like waiting 12 hours from waking up to drive 11 more right?
Tim says
Leave it to the FMCSA to focus so much attention on something that’s all but completely meaningless to the vast majority of OTR drivers. Unless you’re on some sort of maximally-tight dedicated, for the 34-hour reset to actually increase miles under the current 11-14 system a driver needs to face such an extreme sleep-drive-sleep-drive-sleep-drive etc. situation that it pretty much never happens. I frankly couldn’t care less if they tossed it out for good.
Redhawk says
Agreed. …need to get rid of the 14hr rule which cases drivers to always be in a hurry…..clocks ticking and the wonder why
Jerry says
I think something needs to be done with all the evil cars in America! Bet they drive more then 11 hours a day. If hours of being on the road is such a dangerous safety issue lets open scales and inspection to cars and make them fill out logbooks! Taillight out, sorry sir, heres your fine and I’m placing your car out of service! Better call grama and tell her you will be late.
Vince says
I guess FMCSA doesn’t understand that they are the ones causing not only the public but the industry at risk with their regulations.
The 14 hour rule has removed the flexibility needed for a driver pull over and take a nap or a break and remain on schedule….it pushes drivers to drive whether they are tired, sleepy or even I’ll because that clock doesn’t stop..And if getting loaded or unloaded or something other happens you’ve usually lost some of your drive time .
Mike Danaher says
With all these regulations on hours of service they are pushing down productivity. Keep on going Feds. All the while you idiots in Washington make rules designed to decrease trucking productivity you are helping rates increase. Keep up the good work federal know it all. BTW. You guys are all spot on with your posts. Love it.
Dan Jeffers says
I don’t mind following rules that make the roads safe. FMCSA has yet to make any that meet that test. How about treating all of us Drivers like adults instead of children. I don’t need the Government to tell me when it is time to go to bed. My Mother did that until I was 10.
Robert Newton says
I’m a driver of over 44 yrs,drive for some large carriers,still driving,back in the day when the rules of driving weren’t so complicated,drivers were never hardly in a hurry to beat that deadline,because we normally had enough time to make our deliveries,sometimes we were late,but we could rest without losing any hrs,our clock would stop,and we could rest properly and then leave,without worrying about losing any hours because of a nap,rest area’s were normally not so full and there were plenty of them,if rest area’s are full we should be able to park on ramps,I’m also an ex-police officer of 3 yrs,I always found it hard to inforce a rule of no parking on ramps,I was instructed by my supervisor to make drivers move,or face a ticket and be towed and in some cases be arrested.I always thought that was wrong,I’d rather see a tired driver on a ramp instead of in the medium crashed,possibly dead and even a hazard on the roadway, to other motorists,people need to understand we are what makes the world go round,and drivers or most drivers aren’t speeding to be unsafe,they are trying to make their deadline,possibly held up by traffic or an accident or weather conditions, or a breakdownThis is what really gets my attention,drivers are never supposed to be late,but it’s alright if a shipper or receiver is late unloading or loading you,we just have to deal with it.I’m now on e-logs and customers still don’t give a dam,there’s to much politacle BS now,if we had drivers who stuck together maybe,just maybe things would change,when there were no CB’s and drivers would help each other, and we didn’t have to deal with this free trade crap,it’s seems like the only country who is getting taken granted of is the good old USA.Maybe it’ll take someone like TRUMP to get us back on top of things,the politician s hate him because he says what he feels,his speeches are not on a teleprompter,it’s from his gut,Be safe out there drivers,and help one another,it makes you feel good in the end,everyone should install on their smart phones depending on their carriers,mine is AT&T drive,if your vehicle is going over 20mph,all your msgs go to voicemails,you
can save 5 contacts and 911 is a priority
EZmule says
Why can’t we just in force the one law that is already on the books. Don’t drive fatigued!
wing says
now the buggers are very much considering placing arm bands with sensors on you to make sure you are not fatigued… Big Brother and all these PATTS,MADDS and others who don’t and never will drive a truck, just like the power and control,
so they can go as they come and please, in their delusional worlds of complete safety and not risk!
Tim Dalland says
Last time I ck America was a free country ..instead being a trucker u gave up your rights for having a CDL..its so stupid for the sake of safety..come on people ..don’t get me wrong I love what I do ..but if I can’t make money I’ll quit..
Infosaur says
“Unfortunately, the change made to the HOS Rule does nothing to address the serious problem of cumulative fatigue,” said Cathy Chase
You know what REALLY causes driver fatigue? Having to relearn the rules of your job every six months because you Washington bureaucrats feel the need to “DO SOMETHING!!!”
DC should be forbidden from writing laws regarding highway safety until the Beltway (I-95/495) can go 6 consecutive days without an accident or a traffic jam!
Robert Allard says
I am still using paper log and reporting my daily work and getting 10 hours off per day at the end of my 7 days i take three days off or more than go back for another rounder
I do welcome E-log for the near future will be more civilized way of working.
JAFO says
Just another reason why the folks in Washington DC don’t know their hind parts from the brown spots in their underwear.