In the comments section of our news stories, in our forums, and many other places in the industry, truckers, carriers, and lawmakers are speaking out against the negative impact that the July 1st HOS changes have had on trucking. The report that the FMCSA finally issued to justify their decision that affects millions of drivers across the country used data collected from only 106 drivers. There’s a new survey being taken that will help the voices of the other millions to be heard.
The ATRI’s preliminary survey taken just a short time after the rule change showed that 65% of drivers surveyed had reported a loss in pay as a direct result of the changes. Over half said that they were experiencing a loss of 5% or more. The survey has had a real impact, even being referenced during congressional hearings concerning whether or not to repeal or at least temporarily revoke the changes. Now a follow up survey also issued by the ATRI is looking to update those numbers. You can take it here.
Next Story: FMCSA Brings Back Informal Hearings Despite Previous Failure
Source: overdriveonline
Ray W says
Lumping the entire trucking industry into one basket for HOS is misguided to say the least.
Want safer highways, there should be an option that drivers can take a minimum of two hours off, without counting towards the 14, for serious naps , This should be at least one hour.
How many of you that make these rules take a good nap during the day and can therefore put more hours into your day?
The kind of trucking I do (Propane), and as a company driver, I need to get at least two loads a day. This can easily take 16 hours. I have to do this in order to pay my bills.
I would suggest that if you are working within a 250 to 300 mile square area, we should have an additional two hours if we need.
A lot of trucking is within regions such as this and the same rules should apply.
An easy fix.
Road drivers are more constant, get more miles, and, the nap rule without taking from their day should apply. It is easy to get sleepy with any type of driving and a set rule will not diminish this fact. the 14 hour rule could still apply.
Washington should also reach out to the facilities that we frequent and require better food that is not laden with chemicals and other harmful substances that do not nourish us. Can’t get much in the way of energy from what is presented to us currently.
Why do they think the markets are flooded with energy drinks/ pill and the like?
We need people with good overall perspectives about this important industry to make decisions.
There are many to take regarding the industry and I don’t see an extremely expansive view that covers the wide range of conditions that we, the truckers. operate under.
Dave D says
I don’t think that having government involved with anything else is a good idea. Pack your healthy meals and snacks. I agree with you on a 1-2 hour nap not counting against your 14 hrs, but for all drivers. To many drivers are forced to drive through rush hours tired because they have no options that don’t economically affect them.
Ronald Hunter says
This new break is costing me 2.5 hours of wages a week. I deliver fuel in the oilfields. There are not any truckstops or rest areas to pull into with my haz mat vehicle. I log off to take my break on my e-log and load or unload my fuel. The only benefit I get from the “break” is I get home 30 minutes earlier every day. It cost me wages over $2000 a year.
Mama-trucker says
I haven’t been trucking that long, 14 months to be exact. But I have a big problem with the time constraints we have. How can we be regulated in our time driving and on duty but when we get to the shipper or receiver they get to take their dear sweet time either loading or unloading us! I have ran out of HOS at many places, then get kicked off the property, forced to violate my logs so that I can get somewhere safe to park. And safe is not always at a truck stop, we do what we have to do. To me 14 hours is not enough time, we should be allowed 18 hours a day. If my sister who is a nurse can pull 18 hour shifts, why can’t I? Also, my company does not honor the safe haven rule, it should be mandatory for all companies to give their drivers at least 1 to 2 hours time to find somewhere to park for the night. I have been to many places where we were all piled on top of each other because we needed somewhere to park, due to running out of time. I love my job, but I feel that the people who make these rules have never even been in a truck before. Maybe they should come and ride with me for a week and see how messed up things can be. Sitting in hours of backed up traffic, sitting at shippers and receivers for hours, waiting to get a hot shower at a truck stop, restroom breaks, all that stuff should not be eating away at our time. I’m frustrated daily over this and sometimes just want to walk away from what I do. I feel we deserve more respect for the job we do, this is a very dangerous career. That’s my 2 cents, take care everyone.
Tom says
My answer to shippers and receivers that force non-compliance with their laziness: If you’ve told them that you only have x amount of time to unload before you will refuse to leave because you refuse to break the law for them, and then they take more than x amount of time? Refuse to even pull out of their dock. Even a U.S. Marshall has no authority to FORCE you to break the law.
Paul says
I like to say, “there is severe change, before there is change”, and this is what the driving industry is experiencing right now. As many of you have all ready done you have asked yourselves and other; “why is this happening now?”. In my opinion the change is directly related to the future generation of truck drivers and their attitudes toward work, as well as the overall attitude the general public has toward the trucking industry. So lets take a look at a few of these issues.
1). 14 hour work days with 11 hours drive time: Between now and 2021 there are an estimated 75 million baby boomers which will retire. Out of that number an estimated 1 million will be in the trucking industry, with a possible 250k being drivers. The millennium generation, that is the current generation entering the workforce, do not want to work more hours than 11 hours day, if that. It is also proving difficult to get this generation to obtain a drivers license, let alone a CDL. After talking with the younger drivers I have discovered a few other points of interest. A) they do not want to urinate in plastic bottles on the side of the road or in their tractors, or defecate in a plastic bag. B). They want to be home every night or have a place to stop that will provide them with proper facilities which includes a shower they do not have to pay for. C). They are a generation who are into healthy eating and truck stops do not offer healthy food at reasonable cost. One can purchase a large funs size candy bar for $1, and a salad or fresh fruit from $2.99 to $7.99.
2). Electronic logs: This generation are the electronic generation, and they are not going to write anything down on paper. They are tech savvy and social media hungry, so the people they work for will have to eventually supply WiFi access to them. They will also adhere and conform to the rules of electronic logs better than the current work force.
3). 65 mph truck maximum speed: The government is hoping this will lower the accident rate and save more lives. Which is possible because with a maximum speed of 65 mph and an 11 hour drive day that means the average distance for a truck to travel per day would be 715 miles. What this will cause is more team driving or more drop and hook relays from one coast to the other.
4). Pay: This shorter day will cause more companies to go to a flat rate of pay per day. For instance; a company that pays .30 per mile may offer a driver $150 per day, regardless of whether they are driving or waiting at a shipper/receiver. This generation is not incline to sit and wait anywhere without being paid. Among those I have talked to this is another reason they do not make it through training or do and quit soon after. If they are not getting paid, they can be home playing video games for the same salary.
It is my opinion that the larger companies who have terminals set up all over the lower 48 States , or have divided the country up into sections, will have the advantage in the next 5-10 years and beyond.
I have heard in person, on the radio, and have read in forums where the current drivers complain that the government doesn’t care about them. Well it is my opinion that you are absolutely correct, and the sooner you retire, and make room for the next generation, the better off the country will become.
Fellow truckers there are many changes coming and what I have mentioned above and the reasons, are just a few. So, hang in there, adjust and conform the best you know how, and then retire. The government may be asking your opinion on this subject but that is all they are doing. A public forum is necessary before the major changes can be made, and I can almost guarantee you that nothing will return to the way it was.
darren says
Well said paul well said
Todd says
I think some of you people are missing the point of standing up for each other when certain is a form of corporate and government control. There was nothing wrong with the hours of service before, so why mess with it. And all these big changes that I read about, is just another way of saying don’t rattle the cage and go hide under your rock. I can adapt to some changes as well as the next person, but when I see the greed that is behind some of these so called changes. Then I’m willing to stand up for rights of people who want to make a decent life in this country. The new hours of service was not thought out and need to be taken back to what worked for everyone. If you want real change, then make the government step in on some of the corporations who sit truck drivers around for hours. Let them pay for some big fine, because they set driver at the dock for 4 to 8 hours or until his clock ran out. I think rather than to sit and look at your self why don’t you try to help make it better for all of us. Because we all can come to some sort of sensible agreement as to what will help run this country efficiently.
Tom says
What we really NEED is fair labor laws, an END to WAGE THEFT by trucking companies (such as household mover’s guide imaginary miles and then maditory routing, but avoiding tolls, and not paying for work performed such as fueling, pretrips, and standing on a dock counting freight, sweeping trailers that should actually be washed out, etc.) If the gov’t was *really* concerned with safety, they’d mandate pay for all work performed on lines 3 and 4. But they don’t. They care about “job creation” and unemployment numbers. Creating jobs by spreading the already thin dollars around isn’t job creation. We’re having our paychecks ripped apart by bureaucrats who know DICK about trucking, and don’t care to learn any more than they already know (nothing).
Ahmad says
I believe there should be 13 1/2 hours of driving one 1/2 break in 11 hours, 10 hours of sleep and another 11 hours of driving, 70 hours of restart after 6 days in 24 hours, and I do not mind 1 break in night shift after 12-5 am, the rest is waist of time for driver that they do not have hazardous material and want to make money, for people who drive hazardous materials I think theses roles which are now are not bad.
Antonio says
How many times have people paid for something online and it never reached its destination on time? Wonder why… We as truckers have heard this all the time and might even told the story that whatever you have in your home came off of a truck. The world is changing due to technology. I believe these so called regulations on us as Professional Drivers are meant to control our pockets books. How can the government pass HOS regulations rule without having any evidence to prove their theory. This rule was created to control the cash flow which many mega companies wanted it to be enforced. If you going to enforce such a rule than it should apply to everyone in the transportation industry such as, police, medics, firefighters and I will go one step farther to Doctors and Nurses. They deal with people lives every day. I don’t think they understand how many hours we lose in one day when it comes to, pre-trip before beginning our trip, traffic, fuel, another pre-trip within 3 hours or first 150 mile, weight station, inspection, waiting at shippers/receivers, 30 minutes break within the first 8 on-duty, weather, construction and maintenance and finally post-trip just to name some. If the government is so concern with safety, the government should mandate a class for every 4wheeler who applies for a license and teach them about the dangers of cutting in front of trucks, the time it takes to stop etc.
I will say this before I end this post because it’s much more I can post here. If they keep enforcing regulation and reducing our pocket books, we as truckers should think about striking. I know it will send a unified message. Can I afford it, not really, but shutting this country down will send a strong that we will be respected. I will also do it for better pay as well. I hope this made sense to you. Catch you all on that 19.
Bonnie says
Yes! Unite truck drivers and strike. Stop freight in this country for just 3 – 7 days and it would send the message to stop making new HOS rules that impact our careers in such a major way. I am a night driver and the new requirement for 2 consecutive nights midnight to 5 am in a 34 hour reset has the potential to shut a driver down for as much as 51 hours to finish a reset that is only supposed to be 34 hours. That has a huge impact on a drivers pay for the week. I agree with you Antonio!
And to any truckers reading this, UNITE. Stop moving freight and make FMCSA realize the impact their sometimes rediculous rules are having on the drivers who try to make a living supplying the country with the everyday necessities.
Antonio says
Bonnie,
This country is headed in two directions at same time. Rich getting richer while the rest is getting poorer. If they really gave a dam, then regulate it like people who have been convicted of DUI, speeding, driving over the require HOS etc. They have to pay higher insurance. People who have a poor CSA score should be subjected to such punishment. This is just my 0.02.
Time to send a Unified Message..
Thanks
Dave H says
They want you to take a 30 minute break, but in my state they have closed 4 rest areas and between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am there are no parking spots available at truck stops.
Angelo Diplacido. says
As a Canadian driver , it is the prime reason I gave up running stateside. No flexibility in HOS to execute the job effectively. No flexibility in split sleeper, no deferral time allowed. No room to deal with the real life complications of a trucker. I can pull over and break for up to 2 hours without affecting my day. I can split my sleeper my sleeper if clients delay me. Real rest can be achieved when it’s naturally needed and not regimented by decree. I love traveling in America but your HOS have always been a tad inhumane. Micro- managing sleep to specific times is not natural slept .
foryoutandme says
honestly the july,1 changes were not needed. the only time the 30 minute break works. is during transit. more drivers are running on a recap log over taking the once a week reset. the only time most drivers take a full so 34 aka 48 hour reset thanks to the good for nothing 2/ 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. periods in order to 70 hours back. so what’s it like trucking today. very boring compared to just 10 years ago. freight moves so slowly now. that there really is no point in planning trips. for instance, a 1,000 mile trip that only took the most of a day and a half. now takes 3 days. so all the fmcsa did. is brought back the 10/15/70 regulations. well the parts of it that they wanted. and it’s simply not working. what is needed is regulations that fit the 21st century and the mandate of e-logs that are being mandated in 2015. which that law will have a negative affect on trucking and the economy. and will result in consumers paying a higher cost of living due to higher shipping rates and slower delivery e.t.a.’s. here’s a good question? does anyone who introduced the 30 minute rule and the once a week reset? it was a lady driver that was either running regional or local. that had every weekend off and most every night off at home? she whined saying that she was being over worked and that she wasn’t getting a break through out the day. and that the trucking company she worked for. was commonly having her reset the 70 hour clock more then once a week. that I found in the transcripts for the case of ooida vs. the fmcsa. on this very topic. and from what I read in the transcripts. the u.s. supreme court judge pretty much told the lady driver. and I quote: “you have no creditability for suggesting changes to the hos to the fmcsa.” the judge pretty told the lady driver. she should have kept her mouth shut and nose out of other peoples business. and pretty much says the information provided by the lady driver. the fmcsa should have disregarded. and never used in the changes to the h.o.s. for july 1,2013. that was pretty much said by the u.s. supreme court judge. so this is how the trucking industry got stuck with the 30 minmute rule and the once a week reset rule… so what is it I think, I think it’s best if we went back to the regulations before july,1 2013. it will be the best thing for the e-log mandate that is coming in 2015. and then freeze the change back for atleast 5 years. preventing any member of the fmcsa from making any changes. until enough data is collected from the e-logs on an industy wide scale to see if any changes are need in the regulations. or if the are working for the industry and the the American economy. and from what I read in the previous posts. I agree a 2 hour break that doesn’t count against the 14 should be allowed. so drivers can take care of personal needs that are not work related and it is the same needs the the rest of America does.
MCR6468 says
30 min break …. you go into a truck stop , by the time you park , do what you want to do …. and start to leave , you have spent more than 30 minutes there . I did that today in CA , took 1 hour to get in and out . And rest areas are now crammed …. between this and the 10 hour sleeper rule , time is being wasted where money can be made .Whatever happens in this industry is all OUR fault … for doing nothing but sitting back and bitching . If we all got together and shut down for 1 day , panic would set in , 2 days , hysteria …by the 3rd day …. we will have a loud and clear voice . But it just will not happen because there is absolutely no unity anymore in the country . Everyone has his/her little boat to row …. and we are all heading for the falls .
mike says
the goverment is making all these rules and regulations.I want to know one thing,who is monitoring the goverment? Oh thats right ,it O.
Tornado says
Ok… here we go again. With over 42 years and 5.2 million accident free miles I should know something by now.
Everyone wants to be safe on the road and we all have a right to. The real issue is can we make a decent living without killing someone to do it.
Over the years I’ve done more than my share of bending and breaking the rules, and I’ll be the first to admit it.
But let’s face it, as long as we are not all required to be on e-logs those that are not will always break the rules. If everyone was on them, then the customers will not be holding you up at every step along the way. Why, you ask. Because there are will never be enough trucks to make up for all the delays that the customers create. Thus the rates will have to go up to make up for the time the truck is sitting there. Time that can not be made up.
If you stop giving your company all the time sitting there, and actually use those hours against your clock, like you are legally supposed to do, you will not be driving 70 hours a week. More like 40 to 50.
It will not take long before the carriers realize that it costs them too much to have their equipment just sitting there and not earning revenue.
The DOT keeps saying they do not have the authority to regulate the shippers and receivers, but they can force the carriers to fully compensate the drivers for all time spent waiting, at their regular wage, weather reimbursed by the customer or not. ie: .43 cpm @ 60 mph = $ 25.80 per hour + overtime. Yes, I said overtime. The Labor Department violated it’s own rules when they allowed the DOT to exempt drivers from the overtime requirements. (See IRS rules regarding overtime exemptions)
Yes they will all bitch about it at first, but once they realize the real cost of the delays, they will soon weed out those uncooporative customers, and you will begin to earn a real living.
John Wood says
I am about to begin CDL school next Monday. As I look at starting my truck driving career, I thought I would do as much research as I could on the ups and downs of the industry. Let’s face it, I am 47 years old and I remember a time when Trucking was a “cool” career. Movies like “Smokey and the Bandit” and others, as well as songs about trucking i.e. “Convoy” and “Teddy Bear” helped shape my opinion of the truck driving industry. As a young person, then as a teenager, and even now as a middle aged man, I look at EVERY big rig I see going down the highway!!! Having said all of that, I am in no way looking forward to working many hours without being paid for them. The fair labor standards act of 1971 kind of addressed that. It seems to me that some of the more “experienced” or “senior” drivers on here wear working hours without being paid as sort of a “badge of honor”. I believe what will happen one day is that Truck drivers will be paid a flat weekly pay rate. I know of one company right now that GAURANTEES a minimum paycheck of $950.00/week regardless of miles driven. In my neck of the woods, (Charlotte NC) that is a decent wage as the cost of living is pretty low here relative to other areas of the country. I would be interested to hear some of ya’lls thoughts on this. AND I realize that I have zero miles driven so far and my opinion is not based on real word experience. I worked in public safety for 24 years as a Firefighter and Paramedic, and was paid for every single minute I was there!
Outlaw says
Welcome to Outlaw world! A Class A CDL means you have just become a legalized slave! You will be ripped off by every idiot who thinks he/she is smarter than the driver. Psychotic people with no morals seem to be very attracted to the trucking industry due to the transient nature of the business. Trucking is boring, exciting and at times even down right dangerous … it’s called “You bet your life!” Evil people with their own personal agendas seem to thrive best under cover of darkness and whereas you may begin your career with the best of intentions my personal advice is “Watch your wallet!” They often wonder why they are always losing and can’t get ahead well they should remember the old adage “You shall reap what you sow!” When you rob others; you get robbed! You should do well if you are a half-way intelligent person who makes thoughtful decisions and thrives in stressful situations with little rest and bad, salt-laden food. My best advice is smile but never forget “The dispatcher is NOT your FRIEND!”
Outlaw says
I realize the need for standards but if it “aint broke; don’t fix it!” At my age I don’t require as much sleep as the next person and from experience at delivering freight and staying alive I think that I know best when and how to give my body the rest which it requires. I’ve driven the whole lower ’48 from Key West to California and from Texas to Maine without killing myself or anyone else but I was “blacklisted” by some “snot-nosed wimp” as an unsafe driver yet I was trained and drove for a company which stressed safety at every turn. But as we all know; following the rules is what gets the freight delivered safely. I had high personal standards and quickly realized that trucking is really not that difficult if the driver has any kind of integrity and avoids the negatives (1) drugs (2) prostitutes (3) law enforcement (4) sugar (5) accidents. Get the load, deliver it safely, get it unloaded, rest (if possible) and start again. Never look at what can go wrong … Look for ways to get the job done safely!