The law enforcement agencies from three states in the Pacific Northwest are partnering with British Columbia for an enforcement blitz that is targeting commercial truck drivers who are running over their allowed hours of service.
Officers from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho will “conduct roving patrols to inspect trucks and drivers who attempt to avoid the inspection sites by traveling on bypass routes.” In addition they will be opening every single weigh station and leaving them open “as staffing allows.”
“This emphasis is designed to send a clear message to truck drivers that fatigue driving is a serious threat to highway safety and will not be tolerated,” said Washington State Patrol Assistant Chief Mike DePalma, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Bureau. “A fatigued driver at the wheel is just as serious and as dangerous as driving under the influence. The effects caused by a fatigued driver can be devastating.”
Next Story: Class Action Suit: 62k Swift Drivers Shorted Pay By 7-10%
Source: fleetowner, wsp
Jim smith says
Gimmie more money ! Dam the safety
cash says
Sounds more like harassment and revenue to me.
Two Thermos says
What I was thinking.
Larry says
Law enforcement has become a bunch of unofficial tax collectors.
Veles says
How do they know when I am fatigue?
Cary Davis says
By being over hours, not taking your 30 minutes rest break, and any other hours of service viiolation like that if it isn’t documented correctly on your record of duty status of course!
Cary Davis
Compliance Officer
Albert Moving & Storage
jeff says
Well there is ways that we could fix a few of the problems.But not body will stick together to make it happen. So we have to do this stuff because it just going to get worse then it already is.
Charlie says
I’m with you Jeff. Name the date.
James C says
Hmm, wonder how many 4-wheelers are out there, driving fatigued? Don’t see them raising a single concern about that.
Even though, there are like, ten times more of them on the road than us?
Yep, this isn’t about safety. This is about making political points by persecuting big helpless targets.
Shame on you, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Bunch of cowards. If safety was REALLY your goal, you’d be “blitzing” the motoring public for problems, not us.
shawn c says
I know of several 4-wheelers who said they drove 23 hours straight..them highway safety whiners dont give a hoot about the general motoring public killing each other,no money there..bigger truck better news..they can point and say SEE HOW DANGEROUS THOSE DRIVERS ARE but wont push to change how 4-wheelers are governed
Lee Strabel says
The general public is a MUCH bigger problem to truckers than truckers are to them
Über_Rob says
This is BS, and we drivers should show these three states a thing or two by having EVERY driver in that region, until the end of this stupid blitz, run past all their coops and don’t even waste their time with bypass routes. Time to make it a clear message, we are done being harassed by so-called law enforcement.
bigdad says
Watch your ps and qs if coming up here they are searching trucks and drivers pockets for receipts to match logs also calling any and all shippers and recievers to verify in and out times in wa and oregon ….also climbing in backs of trailers.way overkill if u ask me bet tjere accident rate wont decrease from increased “enforcement”
Edaward Paul Mimms says
It would be nice if PROFESONAL drivers wouls stop comparing our standards to a “4 wheeler”. It is disrespectfull to our standards. I can play baseball, and I can bandage a cut but not for money. A good ball team can play “down” to its oppnent and lose. Thats what they call it an upset. So dont compare or drive down to the level of 4 wheelers. They are not in our class.
Terry says
These officers really have to rake in some dough or they will soon be on the welfare lines. State revenue is paramount!
Cary Davis says
The biggest problem facing the trucking industry these days are the attitudes that some drivers carry with them out into the motoring public. We must , as proffesional drivers, first and foremost drive safely and protect ourselves and the motoring public and adhere to the letter of the law. It is not up to us to blatently disregard FMCSA regulations just because we personally disagree with a regulation. We must make our best attempt, whether we agree or not, to drive as safely as possible while maintaining a schedule of deliveries AND keep current on the hours of service guidelines.
If you do not agree with current standards there are avenues for you as drivers, managers, or concerned business owner to use to affect change in the system. The FMCSA has always posted a public forum and reveiw of and planned change as an outlet for “you”, the public, to voice questions or concerns to a new law or changes made to an existing one. These are easily accessible at FMCSA.gov.
Most people never use the tools placed before them and research the data being supplied. Most never voice their concerns on the platform provided, and fewer still take the time to email, write a letter, or call their local or state representatives to voice an opinion, make a suggestion, or file a complaint.
Look at it this way, if it is important enough for you to come on a website and post a derogitory remark, complain about how unjust the system is, it seems like you could have easily voiced this concern back when the law was being considered and written and placed this on the governing bodies plate to examine.
It’s called “DUE DILIGENCE”. Due diligence in a broad sense refers to the level of judgement, care, prudence, determination, and activity that a person would reasonably be expected to do under particular circumstances. How many of you have done your due diligence when it comes to safe guarding government intervention concerning the laws governing your livelihood?
My Two Cents Worth…ENJOY!
Cary Davis
Compliance Officer
Albert Moving & Storage
George says
WOW another sheep to the slaughter
Alex Rolli says
Another child who can’t play by th rules.
mike says
Due diligence? Apparently you haven’t been watching cnn enough to know how diligent the government is right now. Scandals, unemployment, wars, and Congress in turmoil over Obama care. I’m sure they are eager to raise concern about our complaints. Let people rant wherever they want, government is reading them anyway. Oh wait they say they aren’t……….
Andrew H says
Unfortunately, the voice of the people really doesn’t have much of an effect anymore, these large government organizations will do whatever their panel decides despite the popular opinion. This isn’t just limited to the trucking industry, its all over.
Many of these government “pencil pushers” didn’t really understand what really goes on in the industry anymore. Everyone has this image of truckers going down wide open highways raking in cash and not having a care in the world, where the reality is we’re stuck in Seattle rush hour traffic for 2 hours, then get tied up in construction zones because people cannot read the left lane closed sign several miles back. The highway infrastructure in many places are over capacity especially with self centered egotistical people, as well as the modern smartphone boom that has drivers of cars and trucks alike distracted. I’ve voiced my opinion on this time and time again, but who will listen anyway?
So in reality, even though we have a voice as a whole, it’ll never be heard because in today’s economy, the voice of money is louder than the voice of reason.
Ron says
Andrew H got it right “the voice of money is louder than the voice of reason.” In the interest of my caring about YOUR safety,,,,,, I am going to tell you how to live,and make a profit off of you at the same time ! Isn’t that how the government’s ideas of passing laws keeps your paycheck your pocket Mr. Davis ? It tells me which side of the money making fence your on. “Compliance Officer” another government employee.
JARED says
Yes i was pulled in @ Bonners Ferry ID took 1 hour for Insp
they gave me 3 violations
1, not going to on duty not driving for changing headlamp bulb (it took 7 mins I flagged it ) officers said not good enough must change duty status (he is wrong)
2,Had quarter size purple light in center of my red lights on back of Sleeper officer again said for Police use only I said they are purple (i showed him package did not matter to Him
3, Electronic signature on my logs i showed him the letter from Head of Washington State Patrol
that gave me a full discharge on the ticket i got there and also FMCSA letter Again Officer said nope. I have now put in complaint to HQ gave them all my Docs and Sec and codes They were also Set up @ Canada Border and then also in BC.
Enis burdet says
Yea the dot is just looking for money man,,,,, just stop with that crap!
I live and drive in the n/w if you seen some of the dumb ass middle easterners
And the dumb ass cowboys out here driving up and down i-5 you’d under stand
I hope they catch a bunch of and collect a pile of $ from and run them rite out of
This industry
Jim Ferguson says
They cannot search your truck or person without probable cause. If you run up here at at all you should already know that wa/or are connected and have cameras at the scales so really no point trying to fudge. Remember law enforcement can lie to you to get what they want, don’t fall for it if you have done nothing wrong but do so respectfully.
Bob says
I find it interesting that HOS mandates off duty time but not actual sleep. By showing a certain amount of off duty time, a driver is deemed to be rested without actually determining whether rest actually occurred.
Also, since BC is part of this effort, Canadian HOS regs are part of the equation as well. The difference between the two countries’ HOS regs are so vastly different that I have to wonder why a driver can be deemed “fatigued” in one country while perfectly fit to drive in another when the only difference is geographical location.
Ted Savage says
All of us who have driven for a living for any real amount of time knows something that these lawyers and police workers simply don’t seem to know or maybe don’t care to know. When you are driving as a job and you are a human being, you tire at different rates on each and every day of work. This is especially true for irregular route drivers as our sleep patterns change constantly. What a person can do one day does not mean we can do that the next day. By the new HOS THEY tell us the workers when we either are or are not tired, as we the people who do the work know it is rules that are made up by people who have not done this job who are making up rules that are in themselves unsafe. I don’t believe they are making unsafe rules on purpose it is only through their lack of knowledge that they are making these deadly mistakes.
WING says
Cary Lewis. I note every time that you post, that you make sure every one knows you are a “compliance officer’ with your company. Have YOU personally gone to the Congress of the United States to change the Fair Labor Standards Act? Have you personally lobbied there? Have you done your due diligence? You know that an OTR driver is working 168 hours a week, on duty or off, if the rig and load are not in the yard at the terminal, and the driver is not doing any work, including parked ‘off duty’, waiting for the load. As long as the driver is out on the road, ANYWHERE, he is responsible for the rig and the load, until physically relieved of said duty. Talk to a lawyer…. . The driver is NEVER off duty until he/she is out of the truck, and away at home. Not even in YOUR company yard.
These DOT officers in these states already have license plate cams, especially Washington, that can track your moves. So drivers , run it absolutely legal, document on your log that Dispatch or Safety, Cary Lewis included, says or says not to run the load legal, and if they insist on you running illegal to get the job done, pull over in the nearest safe haven, and shut it down for ten.
If DOT shows up to try to make you move the truck, call the nearest TV station and have their investigative reporter check things out for you. If you are fired for supposed ” safety violation”
file a class action suit against the DOT . Cary Lewis, you do your due diligence and become an outspoken spokesman for drivers, including changes needed in pay and hours for all drivers.
Don’t just start waving your ‘ safety man’ finger and making your due diligence speech like the rest of us out here are two year olds. Remember, the best way to get the attention needed to make the roads safe for everyone is to ‘Park it’.
Every driver, professional or not, should be required to take a physical, drug screen, before they get their license, and be subject to random roadside safety inspections and drug screens, especially after an accident.
But you see, Cary Lewis thinks, like the general motoring public, that they are entitled to do whatever they please, including working all day, or night, then getting into their personal vehicles
and driving like fools…. . That they are exempt from the laws of physics, that they are not tired (oops, have to use the proper terminology) , FATIGUED!, that they can text, taking their eyes from the road, and myriad other no no’s.
The first priority when driving is to drive Safely! We all know that, and to drive home the point, we have gestapo action from our governing troops, who don’t serve us, but persecute us.
Cary Lewis, you and Congress will not right the injustices served on truck drivers, who bring you everything, including that ‘ compliance officer’ desk you set behind, wagging your finger.
It will take a sick day to bring about change, and truck driver willing to do so. Until then, these state harassment tactics will continue.
Jeff says
wing……I’m not as good as you in terms of speaking,But you simply nailed it pefectly. I’m an independent trucker myself since 1991…..I never thought in a million years it would get to this. Im at the point of being scared to leave my house on a trip. 22 years of service and im scared to deliver these days. Im from Chicagoland area, must we live this way? Should we be frightened of law enforcement? We HAVE to do something….Its not Right and Its not FAIR…….I understand life isn’t fair but thats a different story. This is our Jobs, And its come down to being swcared to perform our duties professionaly daily. yeah,To all those idiots that think deregulation helped the consumer.Go to the grocery store..prices in the 1970’s (when times were RIGHT) were better then. TRUCKERS NEED REPRESENTATION OF THE SERIOUS TYPE..And im not talking about a half-milked OOIDA either, Cause they suckle suit to most FMCSA laws…Serious representation for each and every prodessional driver in the field. SIMPLE AS THAT
WING says
Also, this may seem a bit trite… Hollywood does a good job of making truth into lies.
But when you are ‘off duty’, get on your cell phone or laptop and search for a movie call
‘They Drive By Night’. Stars George Raft, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan and others. A 1939
or so black and white movie about the early days of trucking. The equipment is darn near a wagon
with open cab and no sleeper. Big spoke wheels. Yet, the driving conditions are much the same.
The drivers are doing the same job, even with teams.
To paraphrase George Raft in the movie “Thats ‘how we get ahead”. So nothing has really changed but the equipment. The men, and later women, out busting their humps for a few pennies. Figure it out. Putting their lives on the line for an uncaring public and the people in government who are supposed to serve us, not terrorize us.
Elite-ism at its worst and best, you cannot see the difference.
There are no JFK’s or MLK’s to serve drivers.
I hereby nominate all truck drivers to start the official ‘ PARK IT’ campaign. Takes only a little of your time and results are immediate.
If your truck is towed because you have pulled over and gone off duty in the P.O.E., OF YOUR OWN VOLITION, call the local T.V. Station investigative team, and have them investigate!
All in favor, blow your horns and pull it over!
Chris says
What all this non-sense requires is some passive resistance. All the truckers all over the nation, shut down for 3 days. Better yet, all the workers stop for 3 days. Then see what happens. But, that would require some self-sacrifice and that spirit just isnt in Americans anymore. At least not enough to make a difference. Otherwise, we’ll just have to wait for the collapse.
simpsonteam says
Yes, we are professional drivers and should be held to higher standards. But with that said I am calling on law enforcement to please help us with the daily threat we deal with from the driving public. Law enforcement, you are invited to ride with me ANYTIME tlso you can observe what we deal with on a daily basis. Your professional drivers avoid accidents day in and day out through their skill and diligence.
Also, LEO’s, if you observe someone within your ranks who portrays professional drivers as scum then that officer needs to be removed from Commercial Enforcement.
Big Yellower says
It won’t last long. Large Truck Traffic is down over 60% at nite due
ELD usage going up. I ran most of WA for several years. Just from ID/WA on
I-90 to Seattle and back . You may see 40 to 80 rigs going westbound after 22:00-04:00 am.
More go east bound primary line haul fedex, UPS, MME, Estes, USF, YRC, and many more.
It will blow the budget of state resources ..
Matt says
Memo stop running over your 14 he clock so many of you making it worse for drivers like myself who actually obey the law.
I am also sick of the old school trucker driver attitude as well can’t wait til you old farts retired
WING says
Say Matt. Us ‘old school drivers’ were and are the ones driving real trucks. Real trucks and truckers require
learned knowledge of the road. We drove the trucks without computers to tell us when to shift, you know, triplex, 4×4, 5×4, 6×4, 10, 13, 15,etc. You have been fed the mother’s milk of bureaucracy, so you have a nice GPS, air conditioning,apu, qualcomm, smart phone to babysit you. Hauled doubles, triples, Trains of any kind? Over length. over weight? These ‘old school’ guys would teach you something…. but your attention span is too short for anything but a video game on your smart phone. Can you back up Rocky Mountain Doubles?
We did it, and still do, learning and remembering the maps in our heads, using pay phones back then to talk to dispatch, and occasionally to home, to let our loved ones know we are ok and miss them. We have adapted to the dumbed down world of your generation, as only ‘old farts’ know how to….. . We actually had real conversations on the CB that were helpful to each other and we had the purchase of the human voice to tell our sorrows and troubles, keeping us rolling into the night. You can hardly raise a voice there anymore.
Everything is handed to you on a platter, the best of tractors and trailers, air conditioning, truck stops, and somehow you think that entitles you to badmouth your elders and that is the problem… your attitude.
Road Warrior says
after reading all these comments … it only gives me sadness … so who’s wrong … the law breakers who are making a killing or the truckers following the law and making peanuts?!?! I myself dont agree with not playing by the rules …just like I dont agree with those steroid users in the MLB
Jeff says
Wing,David and a few others..My hats off to you guys….We were there. We know the streets,We know how to get the job done safely,We know we are NOT a threat to the motoring public,we know how to raise a family and do good in our personal lives………yet this all falls down before us??
Why? Is there a good answer WHY we cant do our jobs without wondering?
Are we asking anything from anyone? No we are not.
let us do our jobs serving the industry without harassment.
is Representation for all Drivers really questionable?
Ask yourselves these questions……….
The Hours,the Stress,The attitudes that are present daily on the street……….This has truly got to stop..And NOW.
notice other forms of transportation have their daily routines prety much carved in stone?
Its Not FAIR..Its Getting to be in violation of Civil rights. Im a True believer in God, A Good hard Worker, And a PROUD,I repeat PROUD independent driver……I will sweat blood for drivers rights and working conditions If an organized group were to petition…. to all you REAL truckers out there that are Proud and professionals…….I thank You from the bottom of my heart.
Jeff says
Also, Id like to Add…….CITATIONS
i believe the DOT state or local law enforcement..
the only time..I repeat the only time a Trucker deserves a Citation/warning whatever is for
1.Moving violations (Speeding,disobeying traffic device,left lane ,etc)
2.Overweight by Gross
any and all other infractions are to be given the driver a FAIR opportunity to repair-replace or re-weigh their equipment to stabdards.
you see that weigh station OPEN sign ..Your hearet rate begins to rise,Your palms become sweaty EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE IN COMPLETE COMPLIANCE!
A Driver is NOT suppose to live-work this way
FMCSA, If you want to make things right, Make it RIGHT…Because you are truly doing it all WRONG right now…
kevin chevalier says
why do drivers go over hours? I can think of several reasons, the most predominate
appointments, nothing like the threat of a bad DAC report telling a possible employer
your always late, spending to much time at a stop forcing you to be late for the next,
we want you there on time and don’t care how you do it make it look legal , not possible
on e-logs, most dispatchers and safety seam to have a lack of communication.
nobody takes in consideration the extra time needed to legally move, only driving time is
on the menu, no eating or bathroom brakes except that stupid 30 min break some jackass
thought up to make more money, Im totally stumped with that one, the lack of parking
is another reason, the Nazi’s in charge wont buy that excuse they say you should have
been looking for a place to park an hour before hand, these new rules are nothing less than
another source of revenue, shippers and receivers are a major part of this logging problem,
no one says anything about them for fear of losing customers, so its your responsibility to
cover their ass, drivers are a dime a dozen, they are so afraid of retribution from fmcsa
they will not support or back their drivers, even if your in the right, the communist acts of
these so called law makers and the constant harassment of enforcement makes me wonder
why anybody wants to do this under compensated job, your paid for moving not sitting, even
detention is not enough, you still have to give up your time and only compensated after 1-2
hours in a customers parking lot, these people don’t give a shit about your time or that every
conscious second counts against you, for every hour passed 3 on duty not driving subtracts
driving time, this puts even more stress in the equation, they should be held accountable for
it, these dammed appointment should be eliminated first come first served should be the norm
not speed your ass off drive recklessly and push it to the limit then try to find a place to park,
to meet some unrealistic obligation made by these two entities, the driver should be the one
to make this call who knows your capability better than you the driver, we need to stop
catering to people who could care less if you sleep or not, I could go on and on but Im sure
you all know where Im coming from, logging sucks !!! the control is only going to get worse.
good luck, be safe drivers.
Jay says
Ok these things always make me mad when they make a new law. its all about hurry up and make as much money as they can till people understand everything about this law and can run legal. It was 2 or 3 days after the law went into effect, my local DOT was in a bunch of rest areas around me checking log books and giving tickets.
Why can’t they do these checks for a month or so without giving tickets on the new law. They can give tickets on the other stuff just not new law.
I am just thankfull i work for a company with a great saftey department. Example: when i did my second 34 hr restart, i started it a day early not relizing you can only do one 34hr restart in 196hrs. Thank god my saftey department caught it and told me what i did wrong so i don’t do it again.
Most companies don’t run like that so i think the DOT should be out there helping us instead of penaltiseing us atleast for a short time, we pay out taxes too.
WING says
Well David, Jay, Kevin….. All great comments, pro and con from the younger ones too. Shows how fractured our industry is, and the powers that be want it that way. The president of Prime was ata TLA convention and stood right up front, saying these new rules would level the playing field in favor of companies like Prime and larger…..signing off on NAFTA by the present administration, doing it secretly….don’t want to startle the OOIDA and all the hard working independents and give some lead time to stop that action…. seeing Washington State patrol officer riding in your truck( and other states with their officers driving big trucks too) to catch poor 4 wheel drivers and others, then back out there cutting our throats with jackboot ideas, basically showing how corrupt and cowardly the system is.
One pet peeve, giving a young driver a brand new truck with all the amenities, and then after they find out there is no romance in the game anymore, give up easy and quit. Using entitlement to pay a new driver 11 cents a mile for 2000 miles a week, on an 8 month contract… then kicking them to the curb, false reporting to DAC, etc, if they don’t sign a lease contract, which just leaves them in the same position, paying the company to drive the truck.
If would be great if we had a silent benefactor who would hire a top notch pr firm to billboard the
‘PARK IT’ idea. All around the country and on the net and smartphones and truck stops. Yet,too many don’t see anything but the worry of losing a little pay for a greater cause.
The media is bribed to censor what big money, including BRIG BROTHER doesn’t want to be seen or heard. Just imagine how many truck stops would choke if you put up a flyer! We do have this and other forums, yet how to set the idea on fire……
God Bless You All,
Brandon says
This really just seems like a scare tactic so everyone get will be afraid to fudge there log books. All the roads I take with the small run down scale houses are still closed. Only the major scales like Woodburn or the Roslyn scales are open. But you can usually count on them to be open anyways.
WING says
Martin Whitrock | Jul 18 2013
One only needs to watch the Star Trek series (particularly Next Gen) to see where things are heading…technology integrated with our natural ways of interacting with our environment.
The real danger will not be the brilliant, well intended minds that bring it to pass, but how much easier it will become to further our dependence on machines and for ill-intended individuals or groups to further enslave us.
I wonder if any of us will really like Borg soup?
Not my quote, but one from a certain individual above…..
Sounds like the jackboots are using these tactics now….
ldydrives says
I have read this whole entire page and what gets me is this:
1.it was rightly said that no one person should be told to take a 30 min. break
that is hog wash that only makes me tired sitting around and waiting.
2.Instead of trying to govern the trucks because you get cheaper Insurance rates,
the motoring public are the ones who need governs on the vehicle due to impatience
behind a commercial vehicle when they do not know if the commercial can make the
hill or not most times they can’t due to companies & brokers alike getting paid for how
many pounds they can try to force a driver to load.
3.old fart rules always wins due to being a lot more attentative to the surroundings
I have been a certified trainer since early 2000’s and would NOT PASS 1/2 the drivers out on the road today due to following to closely whether it be a commercial driver or the motoring public.
I myself have always stopped to help anyone I see in need due to the fact I keep my left door shut and do not truck stop trash.
As for the T/S garbage I carry a grill/charcoal/food/drinks/spoons/forks/plates and seasonings on the truck with me.
I have owned 2 trucks at seperate times during my driving career and fixing to buy another one.
As for this young driver who is TOTALLY COMPLIANT and want us “old fart Drivers to retire”
please do us all a favor make sure you suffer real hard and long to make all those bonuses
that are promised to you.
Kentucky is the ONLY TRUE & FAIR Law Enforcement that I have seen in my years of being out here on the road,Whoops I almost forgot about FLORIDA being ranked in their ONLY TWO.
It is unfair how companies will and can put any one behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle that holds a steering wheel.
AS far as posting these so called “NEW RULES” before they are implemented that is a bunch of CROCK.
A friend of mine is Lt. on DOT in SC and I have not heard of this until tonight reading that you can question these new rules period.
As far as getting a hold of your state reps. you get put on hold every time until you have to leave
to get what ever you have to done and even then if you do get through you get the secretary who just takes a message.
Federal/State and City Law Enforcement should quit harrassing the truck drivers the way they do and in the same breath want our help when they are needing it not to mention it is hard being out on this road day after day because you can not go home and take more than a few days off from work due to the rising cost of everything but our pay.
It use to be real fun out here when you could just pick up the mike and talk like human beings, laugh with each other stop and get food or have a cook out with out worrying about being pressured.
The miles used to go by so fast. I would be in one state and heck the next thing I know heck it was stopping time.
SO GET THE RULES STRAIGHT leave us alone to make an honest gays pay.
Steve Bell says
If you would just stick together you wouldn’t have to work 100 or more hours a week much less 100 hours straight just to make a living….
Plain and simple you should be able to make a living by working within the rules and if not you shouldn’t work….
If you can’t do it and make money doing it…you can’t do it!…
Organize and stick together or be happy with the crumbs that they throw you!..
Road Runner says
Be safe drivers, dont cheat and mostly be safe. 😉