The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has asked the White House for permission to publish a “pre-rule” which could have an impact on Hours Of Service requirements for truckers.
While there’s next to no information available from the request, this move means that the FMCSA wants to publish an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The process would likely start with a request for public comment. And if the ELD public comment period was any indication, truckers will have a lot to say about changes to HOS rules.
The FMCSA has been talking about the potential to revamp HOS for years now. Just last week FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez told Overdrive that we would be taking action on the issue. A week later, the pre-rule request was filed.
Martinez also promised to listen to industry concerns and be “receptive to new ideas.” According to FMCSA spokesman Duane DeBruyne, the agency filed the request in response to “petitions conveying widespread concerns on hours-of-service regulations.”
Waiting for the “Ive got 10 years and three million accident free miles” bald face liars to show up and spew some nonsense.
Lol, that’s definitely impossible. Yeah, they might not have any DOT accidents but they def hit a few things in their time.
It’s not an accident if no one saw it!
The safety department loves that joke.
They are not listed as accidents ,cause a accident is something unpreventable .
Did you look under collisions as these are different they are preventable .and wont be listed as a accident.
I’m waiting for people to correctly use the phrase “bold-face lie”.
I’m okay with a liar as long as he has a beard or at least a mustache. Bald Face liars really tick me off. 😉
well I do have over 3.5 million miles and never wrecked a truck or laid one over.. i’m one of the true old school professionals out there since the 70’s… but we are being dissed by a steering wheel holder here, geez
Yeah, and you’ve left a bunch of scratched hoods, busted fairings, torn down fences, and uprooted concrete poles in your accident free wake.
Hahaha, shh, dont tell on us! Lol.
I have been here driving for as long as I can remember. I have a spotless background an passed haven’t had even a little incident.
All the new drivers out here find that soooooo hard to beleave but it’s TRUE because when I started you could not deadhead your truck in a spot. At the truckstop because the man next to you would have told you something ….I guess we just had more PRIDE IN THE WAY WE DID THINGS…
And you had to wait to call home at a truckstop ….I call y’all spoiled and selfish…
My first truck didn’t have AC OR POWER STEERING…9670 CABOVER INT. I MADE ONLY 19 CENTS A MILE
I pull trailers by accident free drivers just like you. Broke hinges, scratched down the sides, dents, etc. Since they don’t report it like you didn’t, whether you fix it out of your own pocket or just didn’t say anything, they are accident free too. There is no way, no freaking way, that you have never scratched or rubbed something, you just lie and tell people you haven’t,
And I have over a million miles out here, so everyone can stop with the selfish newbie routine. I have been around this since 77, and I have seen plenty of you accident free drivers at work.
I’m not spoiled or selfish. It’s called modern technology.
You seem pretty sure of stuff you have no way of knowing or of proving. Perhaps instead of attempting to malign guys with 3 million safe miles, you should try to emulate them. So how many accidents have you had, Mr. Newb, that makes ypu envious of multi-million milers?
Pound sand you joke.
Are you being facetious? I say this because I’ve got a friend that’s been trucking 50 years. Similiar to what some of these other gentlemen senior drivers, and I mean senior in the respectful way have accomplished. Multi million driver who’s never had an accident or been in the ditch or median. He’s been an O/O most of his career, still driving because he enjoys it not because he has to, and is 78 years old. He’s helped me over my 11 years shorten my learning curve and be a successful O/O for 10 of those 11. Whether you believe it or not there are guys and women to that have accomplished this feat. They’re the true professionals that in an industry of nominal professionals. I believe they deserve our respect and gratitude because they’ve earned it by they’re dedication, sacrifice, safety, and example. I’d rather be running down the road behind, ahead, or beside one them than the majority of us today. Have great week and a safe ride.
I got my Michigan chauffeur license in 1968. That was a time when one could say he was a truck driver with pride. Not today. The trucking industry has went right to the bottom of the barrel. No stopping to help a broke down person, throw your trash out where ever, trash talk on the radio with no respect for who might hear all your foul mouth, very few drivers today will give you a courtesy flash. I am so glad I am now out of it all.
Depends on your definition of accident. Not hitting another vehicle or going into a ditch? Sure I can believe it. But saying they have never so much as scratched rubbed or bumped up against something is a flat out lie, and if you followed them for their driving career you would see that same thing. I’m not saying they aren’t safe and good drivers, I’m just saying they have scratched other trailers, maybe bumped a sign in a turn or rubbed up against a pole, etc small incidents that they never mentioned.
I feel the same way, I started in the late 70’s myself and it gotten worse. They should have left well enough alone.
Thank you these new Yung steering wheel holders think they know what they’re doing no common sense if you got $6, 000 pay that driving school and you got some CDLs
Congratulations. Need more like you on the roads!
3 million in 10 yrs? not possible. 30 years and 3 milion? ya I’ve got that
I hear you! I have 27 years in and 2.2 million miles. I’ve lived through more changes to HOS than I can even remember. They will never be satisfied with HOS.
I have 16 billion miles and 6 light years accident free.
And you did it all on Elogs in a de-rated truck too, LOL.
So you have 16 billion miles and 5.9 trillion miles? Why not just round up to 6 trillion, since we’re exaggerating anyway?
Last week there were drivers who had 5 million miles in 25 years on one log book. I guess they had a dedicated recession free truck route that averaged 4k miles a week. Totally believable. As believable as their 5 million accident free statement.
You’ve made my day, driver. LOL…
And here’s your genuine imitation gold watch driver, for a job well done.
LMAO
Get rid of the 14 hour crap and allow drivers to sleep when they need or want to…..nothing more is necessary
I agree. The 14 hr. Decreases productivity and the overall health of drivers.
and move to 70/7 and 12 hours driving like Texas does
I could not agree with you more. This 14 hour causes drivers to drive tired.
I’m with you. I think they should remove it. My reasoning is that if you follow all their rules to a “T” and still hit and kill someone and it’s your fault for whatever reason, you still going to jail. I see what they’re trying to do with HOS but I think it should be an individuals judgment call of when to sleep and drive
The goal was to get the people with no sense of responsibility in line to save lives. Given my children are on these same roads I support that, but there are adjustments that need to be made to help the responsible driver some relaxed rules so we can make our jobs a bit easier. I like that 70/7 idea! The 70/8 rule is what’s killing me.
Get rid of the HOS all together, Keep elds, as a recording device of drive/work/off/sleeper, make shippers and receivers first come first serve.
This will put the Job back into the drivers hands again. Plus if, some of us can,a driver drives/works for 24+hrs, DOT can piss test them right then and there.
You really don’t want the “make all shippers/receivers FCFS”. You get 10 truck that all show up at one time, and 2 guys loading/unloading @ 1 hour per load, you’re still looking at 5 hours. Instead, pass a regulation that requires shippers/receivers honor a 2 hour window on an appointment time, or by law have to pay an contractual detention fee.
Biggest mess I ever seen , who’s has started this should stand up and say made a mistake , let’s them trucks roll be professional or pay large fine
They should stand up and be executed by firing squad!
I believe what should happen is the following: First do away with the 70 hour limit period . Should be able to work 14 hours a day for as long as the driver wants to work ! Notice I said for as long as the DRIVER wants to work ! Second some how some way hold the shippers and receivers accountable for anything over 2(two) hours unloading or loading ! If they are not ready to load truck don’t order truck . If they do not have product don’t order truck . Only schedule as many as you can handle a day ! If they hold a truck up longer than 2 hours t they should be fined or charged detention with no fail ! We get paid by the mile ,not to set at docks !Third I believe a driver should be able to split his 14 hours and drive as many hours in that 14 hours as needed ! Something along these lines work a total of 7 hours driving ,loading, fueling, pretrip etc. Sleep 8 hours Then return back to work for another 7 hours that gives the driver 2 hours in a 24 hour period to shower or and take lunch breaks ,dinner breaks etc ! BUT NO COMPANY SHOULD BE ABLE TO DEMAND A DRIVER TO WORK ANY CERTAIN WAY ! NOR SHOULD THE GOVERMENT ! THERE NEEDS TO BE TWO OR THREE OPTIONS TO MEET MANY DIFFERANT NEEDS IN THE TRUCKING TRANSPORTION INDUSTRY !
Lets all ban together and strike. We can organize and plan via Facebook across our entire nation. We need to gather, organize and have a plan w ideas…etc
I agree with you to a point. My proposal is only require to take a mandatory 8 consecutive hours off duty everyday. What a driver does with the remaining 16 hours is up to him, whether it be driving, waiting to load/unload, or trashing around a truck stop. I believe that is how it is done in Australia.
B.s. everyone knows its these oversize trucking companys can come together to fight for hos reform. I think that if you change non driving on duty time, also whenever that truck stop your clock should stop the trucking industry will make a come back. On dock at customers shouldnt be consider on duty working time this stuff effects the ltl industry!
Now that’s a pretty good idea. Why not just a simple number of hours based on whenever the wheels are turning. Nothing else counts. Huge difference in many ways…
Reform !!! Reform !!! Reform!!!
Great idea! We could contact the trucking industry lobbyists…
We need to get rid of the 34 hours restart rule and 30 minutes brake rule and 14 hours rule all together.
I’m confused,,, why would you want to get rid of the 34 hour restart rule?
Well, 34 hours is a pretty long time to be sitting doing nothing. Reduce the amount of time it takes to get a full reset. Or just get rid of any kind of a weekly limit and we wouldn’t even need a reset
Sitting and doing nothing??? Here’s an idea, try bettering yourself. Exercise your mind and body.
We need to go back to the 10 and 8 and allow the driver to split the sleeper berth ,to get proper rest. This 14 hours rule all it’s doing is having drivers driving tired. Last but not least ,stop thinking of putting 18 year olds behind the wheel of a big truck.
Since we are supposed to live by the clock, why shouldn’t we get paid by the clock? Eliminate mileage pay and go to hourly like almost every other professional. Pay us for everything we do from pre- to post-trip. Make customers pay detention from arrival to departure. Treat us like the professionals we know we are, not like the slaves so many think we are.
and get paid $18 an hour with no time and a half? pass. i earn the equivalent of $36 an hour.
You are exactly right!! I have to be detained at a dock for three hours before I get compensated for my time!! If I drop and reload same day I lose 6 hrs of pay and that’s not right.
Buzz??? I see u!
Marten transport pays immediate detention pay 15.00 1st hr.20 after. I work there ..its true. And inclement weather pay.no chaining. 20.00hr up to 100.00 even when the wheels ain’t turnin we keep earnin
Hey Heather, they keep calling me….. Should I leave my pumpkin patch alone?
I agree and that’s why when i found my current union job i embraced it with open arms. I’m paid for everything i do. Drops , hooks, ALL my time at a shipper,
Breakdown etc. Also paid over $22 bucks hourly plus overtime and extra work of you want it ,with a raise around the corner.
But enough about me… The entire trucking industry needs to pony up the dough for truckers. Why is it that the rules change but our pay doesn’t? We’re governed by time but not compensated for it???
Why does detention start after 2 hours but you were on time for your appointment? Why does DOT dick around dragging out inspections and stops killing our clock ? Bottom line we as drivers need to be compensated for ALL that we do. The current hos regulations needs to be tweaked but the pay HAS to change in order for people to live… The cost of living is constantly going up
This is funny. First of all, you’re not a slave if you’re allowed to quit. Anyway, why are you expecting carriers to bear a massive risk by paying drivers in a way completely unrelated to productivity? If they were forced to bear that expensive risk, your hourly pay would be a lot less than your mileage pay. But hey, at least your paychecks will be predictable…
Great idea!
Changing our classification from unskilled labor needs to be first. Until THAT happens it’ll be the same old song and dance.
Do away with 70/8 rule completely. A long as I take my 10.hour breaks I should be able to work as many hours as I can.
AMEN!!!!! Manufacturing can work 16 hrs a day with only 8 off so why can’t we?
If sleep is what gov’t is worried about, daily limits are the only ones that should count.
just make it drive 11 hours per day nothing else is needed
SHIPPERS AND RCEIVERS AND BROKERS AND GOVERNMENT. GET RID OF THIS GROUP THEN WE WILL HAVE FREE TRADE. OH YEAH YEA WHERE IS TRUMP HE IS TO CUT REGULATIONS. WHAT HAPPEN HE LEFT OUT THE TRUCKERS. WELL TRUMP WE VOTE TOO.
This to me is insane having these big trucking companies and paid lobbyists come up with these rules drives my crazy I guess when it comes to driving only truck drivers are stupid not sure about you but more the not every time you go into a scale and it starts with you being a criminal and you start out with claiming your innocence for us we drive local most of the time waiting to be unloaded and reloaded can take hours out of your day and when you get paid by the load it’s hard this point system is also BS just having a light or bolt losss hurts the company instead of asking you to just fix no no no you get hit hard with points why can’t we work togthere as Americans we are not out there to break laws or hide or true intentions we just want to work like your officers go home to our families
The problem is with companies. If they get rid of HOS they will force drivers to go beyond their physical limits. Hours of service are fine. Pay drivers what they are worth.
Then it would be your decision to drive or not drive
And eventually the ones that would stand up to them would probably get fired but it also wouldn’t be long before that company goes out of business
Companies are already forcing drivers to drive if they have hours, regardless if they are tired or not. We had this issue at previous companies: John Christner Trucking and TransAm. JCT was worse than TA.
The 14 hour rule is dangerous and the 10 hour rule is stupid.
Lemme get this straight, they’re writing legislation about writing legislation later? They’re regulating regulations? Soon you’ll have legislation for regulation of regulation previewing legislations of regulation. And we’ll be paying for it.
Don’t you just love how our government works? LOL…
Ditto. Well said driver. That describes the industry right now.
I believe that the restart should be 24 hours consecutive off duty time. The 30 minute break should go away completely. The time we drive and the time we sleep should be our judgement call as professionals in this industry. Our work day should be a standard 24 hour clock for logging purposes only and we log it like we do it on digital or paper logs. Each driver has a different stamina no driver should be forced to drive different of their abilities and comfort levels and that’s exactly what the laws that are in place now does. Companies should have nothing to say about how a professional commercial motor vehicle operator operate their truck as long as we as the professional operator make our appointment on both ends safely. No two people on earth are exactly the same; not even conjoined twins. Some of us can sleep 3 to 4 hours and be ready to go others need more sleep. Personally, I feel the regulations enforced on interstate commerce are violations of our US Constitutional rights for interstate commerce.
Agreed, well said!
Well if you get all these idiot companys out of the industry you might have a legal industry.
12 hours driving a day, that’s all. Nothing else needed!
how about a miles per day or week segmented by length of haul
1 thing to say guy down here and guy upthere:
We as a driver, also as a carrier, not a rat for you guys keep doing live testing. Stupidity
They really just need to get rid of the 14 hour rule and the 10 hour break and just go back to the 8 hour
Split break. And that 30 minute break is the dumbest thing ever. All it does is hold up the fuel islands for 30 minuets.
What the hell difference does it make? They’re just going to ask the mega carriers what they want, because the mega carriers are the ones paying them. If they gave a damn about what the overwhelming majority of us wanted, we’d still have paper logs. It’s a dog and pony show.
It’ll be something stupidly simple. But for job security, it’ll will be designed stupidly
complicated.
Ref to the human and pet waste left everywhere. A lot of immigrant drivers haven’t been taught sanitation and hygiene, personal or not. Maybe part of CDL test.
Like the old MAD
Test had to answer but wasn’t
Graded.
EXACTLY!!
So you want REGULATIONS?
How about LABOR LAWS.
With the ELD, companies know when the truck is moving or not. Companies know where you are all of the time. The day of pennies per mile is over. Time for Trucking Companies to pay for all hours of work that is for all time spent with the truck except for rest/sleeper. Not to mention overtime after 40hrs..
Let’s talk hours of service….. plain and simple. Any OFF DUTY time should stop the 14hr clock. If you take 1hr to take a break with your clock with 6hrs left at the end of your break you should have 6 hrs left, not 5hrs. So if you take a break of 4hrs with 6hrs left at the end of the 4hrs you should still have 6hrs left not 2hrs. If you take another 6 hr break you should gain back your total clock.
Again Drivers are Professionals and need to be treated as such.
Look I understand what everyone is upset about I am a truck driver to what the mega carriers understand that we don’t is that we won’t come together and do something about it I know everyone talks about striking and do I believe it’s going to happen probably not do I wanted to happen absolutely just like the other article I read today about parking in the parking lot in Texas they’re making it harder and harder for us to be truck drivers. These mega companies are turning out drivers like robots and and making all these rules but don’t think about the little things like where are we going to park when the clock runs out ….on the side of the roads…. …parking lots in residential areas…. commercial properties ….anywhere we can stop… yes some people abuse that privilege by pissing and shitting on the ground leaving the garbage behind I’ve seen it on the sides of the roads on the offramp on the on ramps on the freeways coming through Chicago it’s crazy!!! but yet they don’t understand that everything they have at one point in time is transported by a truck! from the moment the product comes out of the ground from this earth to their pens ,pencils, toilet, shower heads, desks, phones,computers, everything in this world is transported I’m just as frustrated as all of you but these mega-companies have 1 million people willing to drive these trucks and I have seen so many accidents on the roads these days it was never that way before we just had a student driver run up on a tow truck that was clearing an accident and crush the car. I like the idea that a compliment or sad about paying by the hour they want us to live in these trucks and one is to take 10 hours then they should pay us for 14 hours a day where they want us to take eight hours off they should pay us for 16 hours a day I know it was my choice to drive a truck but I didn’t sign on TV micromanage buy a mega come treated like I’m less than because I’m a driver know I am a professional driver and I drive Like a professional and I park like a Proffessional we are all professionals and we should not be mandated by these mega corporations
We can all organize via social media through out the country! WE little guys can come together and make suggestions and even demands. Lets come together and strike.
I got a better one for you….. how about having NO rules at all for truckers!! Just let them drive and do their job like the way they want to. I’m tired of other people trying to make rules on truckers when they don’t know what it is like to be a trucker!! It’s easy when they are sitting at a desk 8 hrs a day!! let’s make rules for people in cars as well.
Why is the FMCSA going to the White House? That is the executive branch, they are not supposed to be making laws. The law-making is up to Congress, the legislative branch.
They will lobby the lobbyists
Why complicate it? How about a driver can work 16 hours from the time he gets up. He can work 5 days with the 6th payed all time+1/2 and the 7th day and all consecutive days payed double time by law! That will fix it 🙂
UNION YES
The number 1 thing the federal governemnt can do to improve driver/truck safety? REQUIRE ENGLISH. none of these rules mean a damn thing to someone that can not read the word “STOP” ain a stop sign. Then there is the safety issue of not being able to communicate with anyone on scene
All right to all you drivers,
Listen to what all you are saying, and some of you were thinking but not saying anything. There’s a lot of things out there are putting strain on all the drivers, so why can’t we all stick together and do something about it, that is the only way anything is going to get done. Just park all your texts just for a day maybe two or maybe even the week that was so then that we mean business not let them run over us, let the drivers be their boss. If we keep letting them rule and run us it will only get worse. so come on all you good truckers stop driving for a week I know some of you say you can’t won’t but that’s what needs to be done to make things better for all drivers. Drive as long as you can sleep as long as you want eat when you need go back to paper logs get paid by the hour not by mileage like the crow flies.
Trucks not text
All right to all you drivers,
Listen to what all you are saying, and some of you were thinking but not saying anything. There’s a lot of things out there are putting strain on all the drivers, so why can’t we all stick together and do something about it, that is the only way anything is going to get done. Just park all your trucks just for a day maybe two or maybe even a week , we mean business not let them run over us, let the drivers be their boss, If we keep letting them rule and run us it will only get worse,so come on all you good truckers stop driving for a week I know some of you say you can’t won’t but that’s what needs to be done to make things better for all drivers. Drive as long as you can,sleep as long as you need eat when you need go back to paper logs get paid by the hour not by mileage like the crow flies. And the whole lot more could change if that was to happen.
Dang ole tell you what man get that dang ole gubment man always making laws and stuff man gonna need to change that man. Tell you what it’s like power to the people know what I’m saying man?
Why do truckers drive so many hours? Because drivers get paid by the mile…. I have about 6 years experience and I would be healthier and better rested if I only drove and worked on duty 40 hours a week and had overtime pay after the 40 hours with the 11hour drive and 14 on duty daily limit. Pay per mile is archaic. The FMCSA is for corporate interests only.
What we must return to gentleman is egg timer HOS UNTIL we’re all done driving!
HAWK
Hourly pay with 8 hrs. max. Let’s be safe and pay drivers for all time – pre trip post trip and detention. If you are awake you are working the truck regardless. Time is wearing you down. Please… lives are at stake.
The main thing I would change is the sleeper split. My wife and I quit running team when the new rules came out, because there was no way we could stay in the sleeper with the truck moving for 8 hours. When we could do 4 and 4, or 5 and 5, we did fine. But the 8 hour requirement was just ridiculous.
49 years 8.5 million miles. Last accident the same year Joe Namath won the super Bowl for the Jets..
Could I get you all to get on board with revising the 70 hr 8 day rule? What does what we did 8 days ago have to do with how tired we are or are not today?
The correct term is “Bold Faced Liar”.
You are welcome.
– The Grammar Popo
The problem with all these trucker groups, and pages is you’re all OTR drivers and NEVER consider the other drivers that have to follow the same rules that you constantly demand need reform, and are constantly denied, because there are OTHER DRIVERS that aren’t OTR! I can fix the HOS rules so that everyone is happy and safe. I shared this with the FMCSA. I’ll no longer share these ideas without compensation.
Some of these guys are not all there disrespecting older drivers is crazy I can’t wait to hit a million miles I think these guys are jealous underpaid ungrateful dummies holding there steering wheel and obviously hitting stuff probably on a weekly basis good job old timers thanks for all the advice you all give us keep rolling
After reading the comments, I agree that the ELD’s should stay for record keeping. I also believe that the HOS rules is a great tool when applied for the right reasons for the right conditions. And for this I mean we all have a driving record and a driving score. I believe all new drivers with under 2 years experience should follow the hours of service rules. This gets them use to managing their time. For experienced drivers who have a clean record, the HOS rules are dropped. If a driver has an accident, gets a ticket or what ever changes their driving score, then the HOS rules are reapplied. Now depending on the score will depend on how much if not all of the HOS rules are applied. If all are applied, it should be required that the driver take some additional safe driving classes before getting behind the wheel.
Now as for the HOS rules for me, I don’t have a problem with the 11 hour rule or the 8 hour rule. The 14 hour rule has created problems that I can’t think of at this time. But the 70 and the 34 hour rules are a problem for me. With my company, I run from Arizona to Mississippi and even as far as Georgia and back in a week turn around. I usually get back with a few hours left over. If I get hung up anywhere on the run, I find myself sitting an hour or two from home taking a 34 hour break instead of taking it at home. Now I’m not getting anything done at home, not getting re-supplied on food, supplies or laundry and having to head out again living on fast food all because I’m restricted from driving a few more hours to get home.
A prior company I worked for tried their best to get me home, but the HOS rules would catch me short and they would have to swap loads with another driver who was going the other direction. Appointments and time framed projects were always an issue because I could not get home at the time in need. We ended up losing or home because I could not be there to take care of tax issues, bank requirements and other timely issues.