The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is currently accepting public comments on possible reform to the Hours of Service rules. The agency seems committed to making changes. But according to FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez, those changes will only come if the industry – truckers included – participate in the rulemaking process.
His comments came during a press event during the Great American Trucking Show when he spoke about what prompted the agency to embark upon reforming the HOS rules. According to him, it was feedback from the industry.
“What we committed to paper were the questions that we were hearing anecdotally from all the conferences we went to, the calls with different associations, the calls, you know, at the driver level,” said Martinez.
Martinez acknowledged the frustration he’s been hearing from drivers about ELDs, but claimed that that was largely due to issues with Hours rules. And the agency – Martinez particularly – seems motivated to make changes.
At multiple different times, he said encouraging things like “We want to move on this. We want responses” and “we want to move this on a fast track if possible.” But change isn’t a given.
“I don’t want people to get lazy,” said Martinez. “It only happens if there’s participation and if good information is provided.”
The FMCSA is asking for comments from the public. You can fill out your comment and read the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking here.
Source: overdrive, thetrucker
I agree with you, they don’t listen to the drivers of the industry, if they did driving would not be bad; we would be able to take a break when we need one and still deliver or pick up on time.
I’m a owner operator truck driver I worked hard buying my truck payments like $585,00 per week plus insurance , heavy use tax ,tags even drivers license all add up to a heafty sum I’ve all ways loved trucking always been proud of not having any accidents an proud of the big rig I worked so hard an finially paid off so I could ounmy own business I’m not to proud of the trucking industry as a whole why should I be just one more thing big brother jumps in an takes ,they scream safety an the public buys it all fools anyone can’t see it’s about money an not safety is again a foolon decenber 18 when all truckS had to be equipped with elds how much did the price of stock jump from the 17 to the 18 only a fool would believe that is the safer to wake up in the morning at let’s say 8 am your dispatch sends youa load that picks up at 2 pm an delivers at 6 am the following morning 600 miles down the road that driver been up since 6 am can’t sleep them 8 hourstill you pick up you been asleep all night so you do little things around the truck ,wash the windows ,,check tires ,lights ,oil coolant ,exc,thing to pass the time till it’s pick up time now you got a driver that starts the eld drives an hour to load now he’s got 600 miles been up since 6 am along about 8pm he’s almost asleep a the wheel an no way to stop the clock an the load has to be delivered y’all be safe in them 4 wheelers with your family’s your narrow minded they drivers are tired their going faster all because some dummy thinks a eld is safer driving has never been so tiring an hard to m as me the deliveries I promise it’s not about safety its money the same as everything else
It’s called, punctuation.
But you don’t need a comma to prove your point. Your punctuation is also incorrect.
LOL
ELD has been the best thing for trucking, higher rates and less hours to work! Who the heck is going to argue they want to work more for less except a stupid truck driver! The truth really hurts doesn’t it boys? Now I suggest all of you shut up and drive them trucks until your dispatcher tells you to stop. It isn’t complicated just do your job and let the college boys make the rules, if not look for another line of work because this is how it always has been and always will be. Seems like only you so called independent drivers cry all day about safety but my drivers tell me how much they appreciate that I truly care about them. Wise up and get with the program. 🙂
Hilarious! 🙂
Wow, I will take working for swift off the list and share your opinions with fellow drivers an students at my previous truck driving academy.
I’m glad you are not my CEO, you would be looking for a new company to destroy.
The 14 hour rule without flexibility min sleeper berth hours makes drivers drive to the last possible minute. Thereby driving tired .
Well Mr. Martinez, what are you going to do about HOS and/or ELDs? You’ve been getting feedback for a while now from drivers and industry leaders. However, you keep saying FMCSA want more drivers input. Hell, we’ve been talking about this from the ELD inception. Now, do your part and fix the problem.
They need to stop the clock when the truck stop to upload an pickup, on move the clock when the vehicle moves.
They haven’t listened to us drivers at all. We said that putting in these dash nazi is going to kill the truckers for making any money, that eld just dictate are lives and it’s wrong , give us back paper logs , the problem wasn’t the logs book , the problem is the damn government wanting to control of all us , the government doesn’t have a clue on this , there not even trying to understand it , all they want is control, the government don’t know the real problem that we deal with everyday and it’s sure not paper logs.open your damn eyes people.
Go back to the old clock drive for 10 hours and sleep for 8 hours. This way you can keep the clock in the trucks. There was nothing wrong with this clock it worked for over 40 years, before someone decided to put this limitation you have on us now. I would be happy to show you this could and would work. If need be I’ll come to you and work with you on a solution to fix’s this problem that y’all have created.
Last time the FMCSA “listened” to us we got the stupid 30 minute break rule.
I have a block of ‘aged’ cheese for all the Whine! The problem has NEVER BEEN FMCSA and NEVER will be! Get your brain out of your pocket! The problem is industry! Industry needs to fix the problems they created 30 years ago. For those who keep your brain in your pocket, industry means: The Walmarts, The Amazons, The General Mills, The Home Depot’s, The Trucking Company’s, The Big Multi Billion Dollar Company’s who read all of the truck driver complaints about why there are regulations to keep you from working yourself to literal death while they laugh at you for complaining about how you are not afforded the opportunity to beat yourself to death everyday for low wages, while they pack their bank accounts with your money. Go back to bed and get up on the right side!
10 hrs driving 8 hrs sleeper and continue on thats the best fix. Get rid of the 14 hr a day mess! It screws everyone. If I want to drive 5 hrs and take a 2 hour nap as someone responsible would, then I should be able to without worrying that my time is running out and with knowing that is going to cause me to continue to push and to me that means I’m not going to be safe. if I am pushed to drive the entire 11 at once to get as far as I can before I have to sit for 10 hours. If the entire world ran by the time restraints and 14 hour a day clock that the truck drivers have to run by then nothing would ever get accomplished within the world and production wise. and if it was to be accomplished it would cost boat loads of money to hire people to fill in and do extra shifts. It’s common sense.
You know we drivers did just fine in pushed on the drive time. I used to get 8 hours sleep in . I divided my hours up I was happy I had plenty of sleep load got there on time everyone happy Me too.
Do away with the ELD .
This has caused more trucks to be on the road 24/7 it forces a driver to drive when he or she is tired because they have no choice but to go if you want to make the highways safe crack down on the driving school’s in my opinion that’s where the problem started to them it’s all about MONEY not teaching someone how to drive a truck !
Comments from the general public with no understanding of the trucking industry is absolutely ridiculous. It’s like telling the food instructor to give input on the automotive industry. That first is your first mistake. Secondly, if you require input it should limited to the the industry at hand giving input. I’ve only run on the 14 hour rule and one comment that I can agree on is, you are scrambling to get everything accomplished within that time frame. I usually am tired by the end of my shift and I know I can’t stop to take a nap because I’ll either be late or I can’t find parking. So there intails the fact that I’ll cut my shift short just so I’m not parked on the side of the freeway. Who really wins in this 14 hour rule? I’m running late, the dispatchers tell the brokers a lie and the customer doesn’t receive their product on time. We ought to be able to stop the clock when some “high profile” client has us on detention for 6 hours. Is this fair to the driver? Absolutely not! We are forced to sit at a measly rate at then forced to end our day prematurely? We as drivers are not making enough money to be out here risking our lives to be forced to get everything accomplished with this 14 our period. When is the last time you were required to work a 14-18 hour day? We are slaves to a clock that only risks our lives as well as the general public. You need to look at things from a different perspective. We are working so many hours straight that we can’t afford to take a nap and that is the risk you should be looking at. We need to stop the clock when we stop PERIOD! Does your company pay you to sit? Why should we be on the clock for sitting. The majority of drivers don’t touch the freight. We as long haul drivers wait for them to get the freight l loaded. The most we do while waiting is walk the dog, use the restroom or sleep. For me personally I don’t usually require naps but when I am exhausted and feel like I need to pull off the side of the road I’m afraid I might not make it on time so I drive tired and I know it’s not safe but you and this rediculous rule forces me to be unsafe. My hands are tied guys. Please allow us to stop this clock. You are in a sense making us make unsafe choices. We are trying to get freight delivered for everyone’s sake. And these autonomous trucks are the biggest mistake you’ll ever do unless there are highways exclusively for those unmanned vehicles. More people will die and again at what sake? You will have people intentionally get hit by those things. Humans are so stupid and greedy. Autonomous vehicles need a line all of its own before you play with people lives, but greedy people will always get away with things as long as the pocket money into the bureaucratese hands. Anyway, back on the topic, GET YOUR REQUEST ONLY FROM THE PEOPLE IN THIS INDUSTRY, not from people where there is no known knowledge. Would you build a bridge using school teachers? Now please get you stuff together. I’m tired of hiring about this rule. Listen to us and change it.
Super! 🙂
Who works without getting paid? If a driver is stopped forcefully. Weather it’s time at a shipper, receiver. 30 minute break mandated or a two hour break by choice. The 14 hour rule must stop when the truck is stopped. Most drivers are paid by the. mile. Having a 10 hour rest break in a 24 hour period is enough time off to drive without fatigue. And the 10 hours off should be done by drivers choice! Only the driver knows when they need a break. Split the 10 hours up any way a driver wants. Perhaps Labor standards should also be looked into on the trucking industry. These mega carriers can drop a driver on a dime and fill their seat the next day. Which in most cases, an experienced safe driver must go cause he was late for his appointment. A rookie takes over and is tailgating, speeding, going off the road slipping and sliding, backing into anything and everything causing fmsca to change HOS.
They will not listen to any of the drivers or carriers, because a bunch of college students are in charge of our lives in the trucking industry, FMSCA and USDOT, go to these people to draw up the plans to reconstruct the HOS, all this is based on traffic violations, deaths on the road, accidents from all over the country. When they say they’re going to fix it, it means it’s going to get a lot worse, I have watched the HOS change a few times in the past 33 years on the road. ELD and HOS, will not get better, don’t trust any politicians, they don’t know how to tell you the truth, everything out of there mouths is a lie.
I’m a trucker and a USC graduate. Please stop with the comments about college. Not all of us are stupid. Some of us are actually pretty smart. Drive safe and FIGHT ON TROJANS!
So all truck drivers are exactly alike , according to the pencil pushers in DC . I don’t think so !
I was in a lot better shape 3 years ago before my company put in the elogs . I drove my way , I drove the way I felt that day , if I was tired I stopped no matter how many miles I ran , could be 500 or could be 900 . I stopped and ate meals at the truck stop , I was HAPPY .
Now I play BEAT THE CLOCK ALL FRIGGIN DAY , I make sandwiches going down the road , I hit the fuel island in 8th gear I park on the high side of reverse . I eat all meals in the truck and a lot of times the meal is right before I lay down because that’s the only way it can work out if you need to get down the road .
Elogs were the answer to all out here but the bags under my eyes haven’t gotten any smaller , how come ? I spent 8 extra hours in my truck on the way home to my wife one Friday night because I lacked a few minutes of getting to our yard . I could of choked a FMCSA worker , I’ve made up my mind that ain’t happening again , I’m going home because 34 hours with the wife goes by way too fast .
I’ve driven my entire life , started in 1970 when I turned 16 my dad put me in a six wheeler and now I hate driving all because of the FMCSA and now this damned Peterjunk built by Bendix . You can all go to hell !
Drop the 1/2 hr break and give us truckers more flexibility in how we spread out our rest periods.
The rule shall be that the driver delivers the goods in the safest manner posible.
When tired pull to a safe haven and rest/sleep until condition is remedied and resume driving till condition persists again. Periodtical showering and nutritional intake shall be the norm. That’s about it for HOS…You folks can just go home now, we will send your checks by mail…you do not have to show up at your cubicle! I repeat stay home..check is in the mail. Thank You for your thoughtfulness we have really enjoyed working around the obsticles you have created. There won’t be any drivers if you keep up with your nonsense. Find something constructive to do or just watch.
10/8 and drop the break. Keep the reset provision for those that can/want/need to use it. That’s all that’s needed.
Hey guys!
You all are absolutely right, but let put our impressions on to the right place!
Lets do it on FMCSA.gov!
Here it’s useless!
It’s just talk, dot does not care about anything but revenue…
So, don’t let them to say at the end “there were not enough drivers responded”, etc…
The big problem here, is we (truckers) have been crying for reform for years. We’ve given hundreds and even thousands of suggestions, too. The powers that be have listened to none of it. Again and again, they have made unilateral decisions, basing these decisions on some kind of mystical data that none of us ever see.
So yeah. If they haven’t listened to us in all of these years, what gives any of us to believe they’re ready to listen now? And therein lies the problem. Nobody wants to speak up, because nobody wants to be just another fool standing up and making noises at the wind.
The website is rigged so most people can’t post a comment unless they have a laptop or the proper browser so they give up. Then the comments never reach FMCSA and they think no one cares and do nothing. I tried to post with iPhone but it wouldn’t work so now what?
You can mail comments in, or fax them… or ask teenagers, friends, fellow Truckers for help… even the public library can help you make online comments using their computer.
I used my Saturn phone and it worked.
Fix it
https://ooida.wistia.com/medias/8773h4h5kv?media_finished
Here’s the link how to make comments
Drop the 14 hour break..split the sleeper birth time with a minimum break of 6 hours…
Here’s the link how to comment. Takes you directly to the FMCSA Comment page. Easy peasy.
https://ooida.wistia.com/medias/8773h4h5kv?media_finished
When rushing through the fuel lanes or where ever and you see your cohorts complain, ask them to comment too.
Mr Martinez is who he is. But at least he is asking and has put this on the agenda. Remind him past Admins gave nothing but lip service and followed mefia hype ( fake news ) Lobbyist mostly got us these crappy regs. Now it is our time to lobby. I dont like it but thats the way D.C. works ( for now, go POTUS) Keep it simple. How and why the lack of sleeper berth/off duty extension and the half hour break jeopardize safety and productivity. Tell him you appreciate his listening and action.
It’s all up to you drivers they are listening so send your comments in if you can respond to comments here then you should be able to respond to them just saying how many millions of driver there are and so far they only got 1600 responses back so far that pathetic
Most of us are trying to sleep all those hours straight.
Well…I don’t wanna b negative not one bit but y’all hands know its not gonna change, I bet the only thing happens is they take away 30min break lol, I did what I had to do and got in a glider kit truck and got rid of the other truck, now I know I’m pretty sure they will have computer logs for gliders one day but by that time I’ll be retired so in my eyes I’m still ahead, I still won, good luck y’all guys I at least gave my suggestion online to their website so I at least tried to put forth a good professional suggestion to them right along with the others which was not alot, they only have lil over a thousand comment to them on that website smfh
That 30 minute break is my 10/100
MR. MARTINEZ! MANDATE THE WHOLE INDUSTRY, NOT ONLY THE DRIVERS. BECAUSE ALL YOU ARE GOING TO DO IS JUST LET THE SHIPPERS AND THE RECEIVERS PUSH OUR DAY OUT LONGER. AND STILL HAVE TO TAKE A 10 HOUR BREAK. SO BY KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD AND ALLOWING THE DOCK WORKERS TO HOLD US UP IS NO GOOD. JUST GET RID OF THE ELDS .UNTILL YOU MR. MARTINES AND YOUR STOCKHOLDERS KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT RIGHT. WE HAVE LOST MONEY AND SHORTEN OUR DAYS JUST TO FIGHT FOR A HIGH DOLLAR PARKING SPACE THAT HAS BEEN SLAPPED ON US. COME NOW HELP US!!!
Mr. Martinez are You DEAF?!!!!!!
Yeah get rid of the 14-hour rule and laterally take all the states and make all the toll roads the same cost all EZ Pass not different things for different states and he states that make the tolls higher for truckers should be taken and beaten with a stick and take other Federal funding away from them and especially the state of California who is fraudulently charging drivers for money and suspending your license when they are not notifying their home state drivers out there Beware of the State of California they are charging drivers these fees and saying that they’re suspending your license and then not notifying your home state there’s a lot of drivers out there be weary of California!!!!!!
I found this contact:
FMCSA Information Line
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590
United States
Phone:
800-832-5660
Guys send post card
” Mr Martinez get job in Mc Donalds You will do less damage there!!!!!” Mabe he will hear it finally.
The Eld work great for the Mega Fleet. They have tens of thousands of trailer dropped all over the US can hubs for the drivers to park at. Unfortunately they are also the ones the money and the loudest voice. For the rest of us we have to hunt Freight as we go, we have to sit in Docs hours getting loaded and unloaded, and we lose several hours on the 14-hour clock just booking loads. This industry is not a one-size-fits-all. If a big Fleet want to use ELD to track the drivers then so be it. but for smaller companies and owner-operators let us do our jobs. Get rid of the mandatory Eld
Pay truck driver by an hourly rate instead of miles and the problem will be solved. ELD’s can be used to clock in and out. Drive carefully and stop driving after your full day. Get paid hourly if your waiting for a load or an unload. Solves a lot of donated time problems.
All of you took the time to comment here. Now take the time to comment to FMCSA.
Its hard to work with people who are trying to impose their gut feelings on a hand on trade.
We personally live out on the road 24/7/365 The people imposing these rules know zero about how to get from A to B with 80k lbs strapped to their ads! They have one goal, their own ads.
That’s it, they are creating their job where there isn’t one. They have no shame or they are not smart enough to realize they are not needed. ITS A PUT ON! you can put my email @
I agree with a lot of you drivers its not the ELD that’s the problem its the HOS. Hell they need to go to 16 hours with 13 driving and 8 off. Who the hell sleeps for 10 hours I barely sleep 8. Then I’m just sitting around killing time waiting for my wife(Omnitracs) to tell me you have 8 hours of driving.
How many times will the laws rules and regulations change? Nothing that’s been done has been better for me. I have years of my way now I can’t sleep your way. I don’t seem to have time your way or the company way. Oh yes log me out within 30 min at the dock I just arrived to. Or I’ll have $200 taken from my pay if it’s not exactly on time. I should just rip that ELD out and carry it around. Why not just put a tracker on me.
Please make a comment on the FMCSA sight it takes 5 minutes this is are best chance at getting some rule changes if your to lazy to do it then you should never be complaining about hours of service again.
You know we drivers did just fine in pushed on the drive time. I used to get 8 hours sleep in . I divided my hours up I was happy I had plenty of sleep load got there on time everyone happy Me too.
Just wondering if anyone here can remember a single instance of the fmsca, or the d.o.t., or anyone involved in the rulemaking processes of the trucking industry listening to what a trucker has to say, without ignoring him or calling him a liar, in say the last 15-20 years ?
Before I starting driving line hauls, I was an OTR reefer driver for 6 years. I personally liked driving for 5 or 6 hrs and then sleeping for 2 or 3 hrs and then driving again for 5 or 6 hrs. That’s just a good schedule for me. Forcing me to drive when I’m exhausted and telling me to try and sleep when I’m rested and raring to go is just an accident waiting to happen. Break time is nonsense. It just eats into the available time I could be driving or doing something else work related. Drive when you are rested and alert and stop when you are hallucinating. It’s just common sense! (Truck school and USC graduate FIGHT ON TROJANS!)
Agree, MUST be able to break without loosing hrs, 2 problems tiered drivers, and drivers rushing the clock which is #1 cause of accidents!
Hi Guys, posting comments here will not help, YOU NEED TO POST COMMENTS ONT THE FMCSA WEBSITE OR THEY WONT SEE IT>
YOU CAN COMMENT ALL YOU WANT ON HERE, BUT IF YOU DON’T COMMENT ON THERE SITE, THEN IT DOESN’T GET SEEN BY THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS REVIEW DRIVER COMMENTS
COPY AND PASTE THIS LINK TO LEAVE A PROPER COMMENT, WITHOUT SWEARING. >>>>BE PROFFESIONAL<<<<
https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=FMCSA-2018-0248-0160
Also, you are confusing the issues.
Elogs work just fine. IT IS THE HOS RULES THAT NEED TO ME REVISED. Stop Blaming the Elog systems. Blame the HOS rules that they operate under.
I get your point. Sure the HOS must be changed. And that will eliminate the majority of my gripes….except for the the government overreach and over-regulation of an industry that has been targeted as an easy mark for decades. I was born a free American in a country with few fences and few rules. Government buildings were always run down and old and cramped. Government employees who drove cars didn’t have AC or power windows and were paid less than me. That’s ALL changed. From the fences to the lack of freedom and intrusion into my like I can confidently assert that indeed the “Elogs” system is indeed the problem. Government hacks thinking the have the right to ride along with me in the name of “safety” for the cucks of the world.
FMCSA-2018-0248
HERE IS MY COMMENT THAT I SUBMITTED.
Hi, I would like to comment on HOS rules.
Issue: Drivers are driving tired because they need to beat the clock on the 14 hour rule.
One of the main issues with my drivers is they complain about driving for an hour or two to get to a shipper in the morning, then they usually have to wait for 2-4 hours on average to get loaded, whether it is dryvan, flatbed, etc, they have to drive like the dickens to make up for lost time. This make them have to drive straight through without any rest breaks. My drivers say they usually get tired around 3-4pm and would like to pull over for a 1hr sleep, but due to the rule they have to keep driving while sleepy. This is a safety concern obviously.
Solution: Allow the 14 hour daily work window be paused while at a shipper. My drivers are in the sleeper berth at this time and it should be considered off duty.
Result: This would allow my drivers to operate in a safe manner, allowing them to stop and take a nap when needed in the afternoon.
One other issue is drivers are claiming they don’t require a full 10 hrs and end up passing time for 2-3hrs a day waiting for there 10hr reset to be up, They is wasteful time management, but it is mandatory due to the HOS rules in place currently.
Solution: Allow the 10 hour break to be split up. Canada has a nice rule for this.
Drivers can split there 10 hr break. 8 hrs mandatory off duty, then the remaining 2 hrs must be taken throughout the day in a minimum of 30 minute increments. This would appease the 30 minute mandatory break rule as well.
I hope someone actually reads these and that officials take the requests of the Men and Women doing the work seriously.
Thanks
I have never driven so much under such high stress and so tired as I have since ELD came into effect. I drive like a speeding ahole, nod iff regularly and space out when tired which is every day. Of course I could pull over and sleep for 3 or 4 hours to refresh when needed but the ELD and 14 hour rule says NO! I monitor 4 clocks all day every day…like a goddamned machine. If the allow me to stop the 14 hour clock when I take a break of up to 4 or 5 hours and eliminate the MORONIC 30 min break I will be a lot happier…and safer. If that doesn’t happen I’m selling my 2014 and rebuilding a pre-1999 truck and getting my own authority and going back to paper. I’ll still haul for the same people just be in charge of when I sleep and drive…not some government cuck who is coming up with ‘new ideas’ to justify there very UNNEEDED job. Remember when Reagan DEREGULATED trucking? WTF happened to deregulation? I mean really. Easily and by far the most regulated and overtaxed industry in the world….the WORLD.
You want participation! We dont have time to participate, as stated millions of times since eld’s where mandated we as an industry dont have time to participate in your tea parties. We are to busy burning the wheels off our trucks racing the clock to deliver our loads then find a place to shutdown or make it home for the night. In the mean time you so called college edumacated industry leaders make claims that you dont get participation from drivers so you do what you think is best. The zero tolerance eld is the reason you dont get participation.
While I’m on the road when its time to take a thirty so what if I go over. I want to eat away from the truck. I don’t like to eat an run. When my time is up or close to my only problem is looking for a legal place to park my rig. I don’t like splits I distain being told to wait for hours while the 14 is ticking and then having to find someplace before I’m illegal That sucks! Change that DOT The companies don’t care.
We get our load with next to impossible schedules that can an will get us fired for following the law and if we do deliver on time all we get is the another load that is the same crap as before give us a break let us deliver loads safely.