As Congress hurtles toward their deadline to agree on a new spending bill for the 2015 fiscal year, a bill “rider” appeared on the latest draft of the omnibus which would suspend some of the restart rules for truckers without the need for a separate vote.
The rider is essentially the “Collins Amendment” which was struck down earlier this year just after the crash which injured actor/comedian Tracy Morgan. Under the new rules, drivers would still need to take a 34-hour break in order to start their 70-hour work week over again, but it would no longer need to include two overnights. Additionally, drivers would be able to take more than one 34-hour restart in a seven day period, allowing for even greater flexibility.
Since the new rule isn’t its own bill, but rather just a tagalong on the new federal budget, it doesn’t receive its own vote. The only way it doesn’t pass is if lawmakers remove it from the budget before it gets voted on, or if the budget doesn’t get approved (which would result in another government shutdown).
That’s not to say that this is a sure thing however. Though the rider has the support of most industry groups including the ATA, OOIDA, the Truckload Carriers Association, and trucking associations in all 50 states, there are some who are vocally against it.
Anthony Foxx, Head of the DOT, wrote a letter to Congress this week asking them not to include the Collins Amendment in the omnibus plan. Some Senators have been coming out against the rider as well. Sens. Corey Booker and Richard Blumenthal penned a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid saying “we are extremely disappointed that despite our grave concerns, this matter is moving forward through the appropriations process, rather than with extensive study and debate.”
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Source: overdrive, overdrive, overdrive, streetsblog, bloomberg, fleetowner, thehill, thetrucker
shrinkwrap says
With 57 Dems assistance the Omnibus Bill has passed.
The headlines are only talking about how the Banksters bought their way in to get preferential treatment.
I don’t see if the ‘re start’ issue ended up being included and hopefully someone can find out…..
[quote]
But America’s “too big to fail” banks desperately want to continue business as usual. Citi, which itself was rescued by taxpayers to the tune of $100 billion in Federal Reserve loans, wrote the provision, says the New York Times.
You remember Citi: the behemoth bank was instrumental in killing the Glass-Steagall law that for 60 years separated everyday banking from high-stakes, high-speed trading. Citibank merged with Travelers Insurance to form Citigroup in 1998, and later became one of the first too-big-to-fail banks to collapse in the financial crisis.
The Times detailed that “Citigroup’s recommendations were reflected in more than 70 lines of the House committee’s 85-line bill. Two crucial paragraphs, prepared by Citigroup in conjunction with other Wall Street banks, were copied nearly word for word. (Lawmakers changed two words to make them plural.)” (Read more about Citi’s history creating “too big to fail” in SourceWatch).[quote]
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2014/12/11/congress-reinstate-taxpayer-subsidies-reckless-derivatives-trading
Jonathan says
I like my time at home so on a personal level I hope they don’t change the two overnights for a restart but understand if you’re out in the truck you want to get on. As for the one reset a week I hope that changes.
steve says
Unbelievable some of the comments I hear from people who claim to be “Drivers” It isn’t rocket science. Where in anyone’s right mind and limited ability to do simple math does taking more than one 34 hour reset in your 70 week constitute less rest? Geez, really? The 1 to 5 am is dumb also. My home terminal is on the west coast so by the time I hit the east coast I’m dealing with a 3 hr time difference. I would like to leave Florida at 3 am and start heading home, that’s midnight for me, so do the math, again, it isn’t rocket science. C’mon, that whole 1 reset per week, 2 1 am to 5 am makes absolutely no sense to me at all. The rule needs to go back to the way it was, gives the driver the freedom to drive their way and not what the government dictates.
Moving Forward says
Hmmmm, did Senator Collins do this for the drivers or for the company bosses?
walter mcclain says
I thought it was fine , with the one 34 hour restart . I could run three thousand miles a week , and still have good rest time . I don’t work by the mile , I work percentage , so my circumstances are some what different from most . good luck to all of you new drivers out there , with the new changes .
Thomas Mears says
I run 1800 miles in one trip, except for some very minor variations, the same trip. Can run two a week unless some a- hole dock worker shoves all the weight forward and I have to get it reworked. Most weeks the second load does not come down the pipe perfectly on time for me to start immediately upon dropping the first trailer – when that happens DOT has affectively cut my wages from livable to just above working at McDonalds by using the single restart on me they have made me sit 34 hours + (for the two one to five rule) less than four hours from my home. I’m a single parent and sole source income for two teenagers.
Thugs wearing badges upholding the power of the super-wealthy.
Thomas Mears says
One size doesn’t fit all.
joe driver says
Is that even really a question? Collins is a senator from maine. Maine is a very red state, also very truck friendly. Maybe not driver friendly, but truck company friendly. Do you have any idea how many companies claim maine as thier hq state but only have a sales office? Hint start looking at trailer license plates. Then you tell me who she did it for.
Robin says
The new 34 hour requirement was a failure from the get-go. Forcing drivers to race to find a place to park so that they can meet the 1 AM-5 AM rule which if they miss that time especially with electronic logs, there are 34 hour restart can turn in to a 48 hour restart.
Plus, I thought it was pretty stupid to limit how many times you want to take a 34 hour restart during the week. I mean yes, if you can afford to do that… Then why not?
But alas, as we all know these dumb rules are being made by government officials that work 8 to 5 with weekends and holidays off with absolutely no concept of what a “pee-can” is trying to tell us the best way to do our jobs.
Scott Sr. says
I completely agree and although I am home most weekends it could be Saturday at 2am then I have to wait til Tuesday at 5am or go on recapping. Its far more dangerous as I often find myself forced to burn it into Shippers and Recievers quite regularly and rarely get the time I once had under the old rules. This has really cost me 1/3 of my normal checks and that’s no bs. I travel to Chicago a lot and each week is different but I always seem under press with my recaps.
That is true that around 12-1am you see a lot of trucks rushing to shutdown vs before you had maybe one all night but it has gotten far worst since July 2013. Completely stupid idea and really why take the word of the Former Mayor of Charlotte ( or Raleigh wherever the dumb dumb is from ) as from what I see North Carolina hates Semis now a days. Far different from my days as a child.
Never thought I would be agreeing with an Elderly Maine Senator before but if I lived in Maine I would keep her in office just for this reason.
Danny B says
How many more tmes do we have to put up with rule changes,the only profession I nknow that we don’t Know how to do our job.let the driver decide when he or she needs a break that’s the way we use to do it and it worked fine.problems came about when they started all these changes.
mike says
The 1am-5am needs to go. If you run your hours out on Saturday, take 34 off. You still can’t start Monday morning until 5am. Just in time for rush hour traffic.
HAULINTX says
The companies will abuse this and make drivers work more hours and the pay wont be worth it.
Brandon says
I’ve always thought the “168 hr rule” portion of the new rules was pointlessly confusing (thus hard to enforce) and unreasonable in all sorts of real world scenarios that happen out there on the road.
The 2 periods between 1am-5am portion of the new rules I’ve never personally had a problem with but realize there are many running off-hour schedules who might be put out by it.
Michael says
We had about a dozen six day drivers log in one morning and discover they were still out of hours and had blown their reset. How did this happen? Daylight savings time sprung forward, and all those guys only got 167 hours logging in at their usual time. They had to log in an hour late on the first day of the week until they could afford to take a week to run off their hours, and some of them were stuck doing this for months.
As a five day driver, I really don’t care about that one, or the 1 to 5 thing, because I always have 48+ hours off every week anyway. Even so, I’m all in favor of my harder working friends having more flexibility and being able to do what they are perfectly capable of doing safely. Those guys don’t have wives who bring in an extra $45k so they have to work harder than me. 🙂
Brian Bennett says
Little men in dark windowless rooms making up rules that affect only other people. I hope it passes, because it’s a moronic rule.
Matches says
The once per week provision is utterly ridiculous. This week I got home on Wed night and will depart on Mon morning. I will not be eligible for a restart because I will be leaving earlier on Mon then I did this week! Eighty-four hours at home and no restart! Makes a lot of sense doesn’t it.
Get the politicians and their political appointees out of trucking and listen to the industry!
Ahmad says
I do not mind 34 hours restart but you should be able to do it when ever you had that time as many times as you like, its your time and resting time for you. When it comes to break at what is it 1 – 5 am break I do not mind one break but 2 breaks that time wasting, and let it be 84 hours work to new restart of only 34 hours. For loading, unloading, truck trailer problems you should not take breaks if it is you not doing the work, and take break only if you did 4- 8 straight hours on for 1/2 hour or 1 hour.
You all have great trucking day ahead of you and do not get greedy like oil investors to suck peoples money out of their pockets, other words watch out for fake truck load pay like oil investors who did to give them selves pay raise. Thank you and be successful. . .
Douglas Kirk says
I fail to see how what I did a week ago has any effect on what I do today or tomorrow. I have held a commercial license since 1977 and never ran over anybody whether I slept 8 hrs or 2. I don’t advocate driving while tired, but that is exactly what the FMCSA mandated when they pulled the 14hr rule out of their collective asses. Any time I think I’m tired I will sleep. If the boss doesn’t like it he can suck eggs. I will not die for a load of ANYTHING. That being said, there is always some moron out on the road who isn’t paying attention or has a vastly overrated opinion of their driving skills- these people will take you out when you are minding your own business. Happened to me October 28 this year. I was hit head-on by a woman who was in a sweat to go nowhere, and now I’m looking at a 6mo vacation while recovering from surgery. Be safe and watch out for each other, boys and girls.