The Hours of Service (HOS) regulations for commercial truck drivers are changing. After a “fast-tracked” regulatory process, CMV drivers in the U.S. will be subject to new rules starting on September 29th.
Most of the HOS rules that truckers abide by will be the same. The changes that were made are relatively small, but they may potentially have a huge impact on schedules of certain drivers.
The HOS rules will be changed as follows:
- A driver’s 30-minute break can be fulfilled by any non-driving time. It no longer needs to be non-driving, off-duty time.
- In addition to an 8/2 split, drivers are now permitted to take a 7/3 split in their mandatory 10-hours off duty. In addition, the off-duty time doesn’t count against their 14-hour clock. According to the FMCSA acting administrator, this essentially allows for a 3-hour ‘pause’ button.
- The exemption for adverse driving conditions has been extended by two hours.
- The short-haul exemption now allows drivers operating within 150 air miles of their base to drive without keeping records of their duty status. In addition, they are allowed a 14-hour on-duty limit.
A coalition made up mostly of safety advocacy groups has filed a legal challenge against the HOS changes. FMCSA says that the HOS changes will be going into effect regardless.
wish they would allow 70/7 for team drivers instead of 70/8.
I’ve been saying that for a long long time but not for just teams it should be across the board
Just never happy
I think it’s a great idea to make the changes. I’m a driver and don’t need to be in the bunk for 10 straight hours and the 150 air miles is also a great idea especially when I work local delivery
The 70/8, 60/7 rule makes no sense anyway. If a 7-day driver can go 70 hours in 6 days, why can’t a 6 day driver do the same?
I don’t care what the changes are, I quit OTR the same day they force the ELD on us, I will not be slave of the system , the only reason why the came up with the mandatory HOS is because drivers allowed it to happen, park your truck and walk away, let politicians drive the truck, the government has no business telling us when and how to drive our trucks.
I thought the same way. I was going to quit OTR. I found out that it’s really not as bad as I thought and I’m making the same amount of money. I guess the biggest thing is waiting for the 10 hrs off duty to pass as I only sleep 5-6 hrs.
Man I can’t figure out how some of u cats are able to function on just a few hours of sleep. I push it balls to the wall just so I can justify taking maybe 11 hours off. But then again I have made the truck a home, and i spend a couple hours every morning watching TV and drinking coffee in the truck of course. And aside from all that, I spend about 4-6 months on the road before the dispatch team begins saying omfg dude are you gonna go home? So yeah man I enjoy my daily or nightly hours off out here.
I just quit for over a month. Unfortunately,I have to go back to it. There are plenty hiring,but I’ve been pigeonholed into this mistake of a career choice and no one will give me a chance.
Learn sonething beside dry box or reefer. Tanker pays you for everyrhing you do. Some company drivers even get paid to go to bed, uniforms, 401k, safety bonus and the list goes on! I was a tanker O/O ( hazmat and nonhazmat), loved it. Made lots of money, ELD is simply a game, you have to learn how to be a good player and use the system to you advantage!
Exactly ! There is so many niche areas of trucking. One simply needs to be open to the possibilities.
Some people just don’t want to get out of their truck and do a job that actually requires work or get mud on their $300 shoes.
Or, because the mud squished into the holes in their Crocs. Lol
Or their flip flops and socks… ridiculous
Cudos Jack! Glad to see someone making lemonade.
Sorry but that’s just not true, QC pays mileage pay only even for loading and unloading.
I drive for QC, and we are paid percentage of the load.
Amen Jack! I’m trying to build up time so I can drive hazmat/tankers as this is the area of “elite” drivers.
That’s what you think,
Don’t be surprised when you see some of the tanker drivers.
Watch out for water haulers the worst.
The rates suck for 00 the equipment sucks for company drivers .
Don’t get carried away .
Hauled Crude Nat gas over 10 years no rite ups tickets spills and i am far from an elite driver. Still learning every day well over 2 mill. Miles and maby 900.000 can be verified so think twice about what you consider elite drivers.no Dutch word in the trucking ind.
ONLY SAFE AND COURTEOUS DRIVERS COUNT AS DRIVERS END OF SENTANCE.
That’s what you think,
Don’t be surprised when you see some of the tanker drivers.
Watch out for water haulers the worst.
The rates suck for 00 the equipment sucks for company drivers .
Don’t get carried away .
Hauled Crude Nat gas over 10 years no rite ups tickets spills and i am far from an elite driver. Still learning every day well over 2 mill. Miles and maby 900.000 can be verified, so think twice about what you consider elite drivers.no such word in the trucking ind.
ONLY SAFE AND COURTEOUS DRIVERS COUNT AS DRIVERS END OF SENTANCE.
J H if you have your tanker you have a job,just go get it. If you don’t,go get it same with hazmat. If you’re north haul crude $$$. South, chems QC will give you a truck and set you free. mid west whatever they put in a tank and milk. Texas oil,gas,saltwater,fresh water,and anything they can find to put in it.
So did reefer and dry van, YEARS ago. $15 to fuel, $10 for each stop. Then, they slowly took it all away. Now, if you get detained, they complain about detention. But, they bill the customer you are detained at. They keep the money, instead of paying it to you.
Smart comment. Very positive and true. Learn to play the game.
Ever heard of theft of services. It’s a crime. Shouldn’t have to play a game to get paid for your services.
I’m sorry you’re stuck in the job. I tried to get my husband ( both of them ) to stop but they never listened. My first husband had a stroke while driving, the company talked him into going back then he was found dead lying beside his truck. This current one was hit by a drunk driver and has a spinal cord injury keeping him from returning to trucking. In both cases they wouldn’t give it up.
Sorry dude I have to ask,my name tim too,my condolences and really mean that and now what I’m about to ask isn’t judging and don’t have nothing against this,,I see you said both husbands and your name is Tim too,,is that name an alias?are you male or female?and again I’m not trying to be funny nor judging nobody I’ve got family and friends that are interested in same sex,and this isn’t intended for no disrespect to you from me nor anyone else should disrespect you either,,you don’t have to answer..
It’s TLM not tim
I have noticed the same problem
Why is it unfortunate you have to go drive again?
Boo hoo. Go to swift
Yeah Swift!!is notorious for tearing shit up,not all Swift drivers,,just Swift has a ridiculous bad reputation and all drivers are considered this,if you decide to go to Swift,prove all wrong by being the driver that’s safe,,I can go on and on about this good and bad,just be happy with who ever you pick in trucking,try to be,if not move on,all truck companies have good and bad drivers,ups and downs..
Rory, I stopped driving March 2019 but I always had military as a back up. Took a 6 month tour of duty and found a contractor job. Bad thing about that is you are subject to the contract getting renewed but 2-3 years on one guaranteed pay ain’t bad.
Talk with Soar Transportation, out of Salt Lake City.
It’s all reefer, and no NY.
I totally agree with you Bro. But people a bunch of idiots who doesn’t want to understand how powerful they are. We could put all globalists and politics on their knees in one day if we want.
If all truck drivers owner operators /companies drivers get together and strike we got the power to fixed but its a lot off game players they not willing to go fowart
Yes guys, but you need to consider all the drivers from all different backgrounds. Unfortunately, because of these ethnic differences in our field of work, we cannot unite ourselves and we are our own enemies. White Americans, black Americans, European, Indian, Arabic or Asian drivers, we are in the same boat and our slave-masters will always win because of our hate toward a fellow driver if he does not look like me!
So true
Amen!
I’m at 100 % whit you
How convenient driver. Your statement isn’t a statement of rebellion, it is one of surrender and caving in. Perhaps you’re just tired., which would be fair. However, don’t push on anyone else who can adapt to the environment and work with most anything that may come their way. Rhetoric of this sort will only distort the truth of it even further and merely show that you might just be a broken, overworked and tired driver we are all better off without on the road.
Amen Orlando! I drove for 27 years, I also gave up when it came to computers.
You are so wrong! All of these regulations are because of us old timers who broke every rule in the book.
Without anyone dictating safety, no one would be safe on the roads. It keeps the majority in check!
Get use to it!
42 years of trucking, I know a little bit about it!
David
Now if the DMV makes it tougher on these brainless 4-wheelers on their phones driving and cutting us truckers off!
I agree with you, but the real problem is what these so called trucking schools are putting out are far from being a professional driver. A lot of them I wouldn’t let drive my lawn tractor in fear they would have an accident. We did it to ourselfs, and only we can fix it. Drivers, stop undermining each other to make an extra nickel. Fixing our industry’s problems and doing the job correctly is the only solution. Stop allowing deadbeats dictate how you look and who you are.
I believe in order to get your class c you MUST ride in an 18 wheeler for 2 days, so they can see what it’s like up here I. This can !!
Dad was a career driver too and yes broke bout every rule too and maybe some they hadn’t yet made into rules.that dude jacked knifed for 8 hrs on the side of the road hospital for a few months skin graphs casts pins rods and another truck as soon as all that was over. You old guys were some fu@$in gladiators,😆
That’s exactly what I had thought.
I have been driving almost 15 years and stay out on the road 3 months at a time ( buying a truck is the reason ) and my husband who I lost in 2017 was a 38 year truck driver veteran. I heard stories of how the old timers ran and boy did I think that was an exciting time to be a driver in those days.
I agree with you about the old timers making it hard on us new drivers. Lol! All those outlaw ways you can’t hardly get away with anymore. Lol!
I still have a few tricks up my sleeve though. Lol!
The roads were safer then. You almost need a traffic cop in truck stops now. Way back when I started. You seen a truck on side the road you pulled over and helped. Now days most drivers want change lanes. So that you can merge onto highway. Our society has changed.
Disagree with you and I’ve got forty plus also. The old timers as you put us, learned how to truck the right way, and most of us knew and still do, our limits and stayed in them. It’s the so called truck driving schools today that are creating the danger everybody has to deal with. They spit these fresh blood cdl holders out to feed the industry, without a care as to the quality of training which is why trucking has gone down the drain. Shoddy drivers require babysitters, hence the government is their and now yours and mine’s babysitter.
I’m with you my days of Long haul we’re over the day the ELD mandate went into effect. I rarely if ever drove beyond my 11 hours however I regularly stopped and took naps on a daily basis which in my mind made me a safer driver. As the rule stands right now you are still forced to drive even when you are tired and need a nap because of the rule that once you start your 14-hour day the hours keep marching on no matter what
Amen you have college kids tell a trucker how to drive. When they know absolutely nothing about a truck. Company’s also lie on driver DAC. Taken there driving able away. All driver’s should put the hurt on this country. All driver’s deserve better treatment.
Well they made you quit
Wouldn’t that be treason?
Good. Go pack Tomatoes..
I partially agree. We should be able to drive as little or as much as we feel safe. But there will ALWAYS be people in any industry that will do something they can’t handle and force the regulations on everyone.
Never catch me bitching about the 10 off, just need to get rid of the 14hr limit. BTW you signed up for people controlling your time off for years. The hos doesn’t help at all that’s true. Problem is obvious when 90% look in the mirror. No training zero ability and a me first attitude. Drivers and their childish attitudes have caused this no one else. Dash cams prove that 99% of the accidents that are posted could have been avoided if dumbest behind the wheel of the truck didn’t force the issue. You know the car won’t stop so quit fighting over 20 feet and act like adults.
No car drivers need to realize our time is more important then theirs and that the safest place for them is BEHIND the truck…rather they like it or not.
Thought you walked away if you did as claimed government isn’t telling you how to drive a truck. Not that I agree with all the rules.
Good for you whiner
You can do with ELD pretty good, need to learn how.
Then what about those drivers loaded on speed to stay awake and crash into innocent people killing them with 50 tons of steel and product? Those rules are there to keep those in cars and pickups safe as well as the trucker. They need reason I agree…but still needed.
You’re right, ELD’s are electronic slavery. Plain and simple.
How many times has FMCSA changed HOS in the last 12 years?
What 3, 4?
Enough already
You couldn’t stay without cheating. Thanks for making the roads safer.
Amen.
Safety groups already crying…gee, no wonder we can’t get drivers. Hey, let’s give 18 year old a shot since we are hurting…safety groups will love that. Glad I only have a few years left.
I’m understanding that the 1/2 hour after 8 hours. Only applies to DRIVE time not combination of on duty and drive.
Right…It’s called a 30 minute Break.
There need to be rule because some of you driver still driving when you want to sleep so you go kill some one not your self . May be you quit because you are one of those driver.
And maybe you need to learn what you are talking about
Yea, there’s some bad apples.
But majority isn’t.
When I was tired I shut down.
It’s not about safety, it’s about control.
Need to get rid of the 30 minute break cause we’ll do a 30 minute break anyway for taking showers, meals, truck & or trailer repair, etc before it gets to late in the afternoon/evening when truckstops are busy for these & have no or limited parking. I’m for that
Should have been 2 15-minute breaks. Pee, coffee, roll…fewer drivers sitting a half hour at a time on fuel islands.
And why are you sitting on a fuel island for any length of time not involved with fueling?
If they would address the parking problem instead of wasting time on log minutiae, the 30-minute-at-the-pump issue would solve itself.
And fine states like AR that restrict access by closing rest areas and side parking
I make it a point of just driving through AR and not stopping.
You think driving here sucks, try LIVING here. 🙁
Arkansas is the anus of America.
Well if you read the article carefully that’s exactly what they are allowing you to do. ANY BREAK no matter what it is or what your doing for 30 min is considered your 30 min break. They just need evidence of some kind that you were not driving during that required period. I’m not trying to defend the regulation on this but that 30 min from behind the wheel has proven to save lives or they would of never implemented it.
Off duty 8+2 I wish I could split 2.
You are all missing the point about eld . It is because the industry wants new stupid drivers that cant understand how to do paper. Add automatic trannys,braking and lane departure so you take the skill out of it and what do you get? CHEAPER DRIVERS! Also the dot will have (if they already dont) a computer that will audit EVERY LOG BOOK. If we park these newbies will just take our jobs.
If everyone contributed 100 bucks in a fund to pay the striked workers and we made all the fuel drivers go on strike, the country would meet our demands in less than one week.
1day toos
3 days
Sadly, no. Whoever we paid it to would steal it and spend it on hookers and beer in Tahiti.
That’s what has become of unions, today.
Pay all hours by the hour rate. Or a flat rate 300 a day. Better insurance an 401 k. All companys pay by the hour. 30 hours. And over time after 40. It is time the goverment work ideas for drivers not companys. This 45cpm got to go. Give up two hours. Time is gold. Pay all hours. To the drivers. On duty and driving hours and just like wall mart pay 42 dolars for lay over. Time for driver wake up.
What’s so difficult about the rules? Go ahead and quit! I’m going to continue making my 65k for my first year and in 4 more months when I buy (Not lease) my truck, my income will more than double (Net income). I have no problem with the rules!
Good luck ..,
It’s a wonder we don’t all retire as millionaires.
It must be because you’re the only smart trucker in the business, Jason.
Consider the possibility that you have not yet learned it all in your first year. Consider carefully how much you are willing to gamble on the presumption that you are just smarter than everyone else.
“Safety Advocates” are often just pole-clutching “Safety-Culture ideologues who are simply afraid of their own negative emotions.
Society has empowered them to mess up and throw sand in the gears of industries they by no means understand.
Isn’t THAT the truth! I have 30 years in electronics and 5 years in aerospace engineering and there will ALWAYS be “numbnuts” in ANY industries.
Pay all hours by the hour rate 30 dolars a hour driving and duty time pay by the hour. Wake up drivers. No more giving up two hours at each stop. I stay on duty all day
True, if you mess with my rest I will burn the clock
Only works if you’re paid by the hour. Which is why most carriers pay by the mile, instead.
hair follicle drug test .this is a trap .there are too many exterior way that can cause a false positive.why wont they tell the truth…
Not relevant to HoS reform – the subject of the article, here…
And the premise is that if you hang out with drug users, you probably shouldn’t be trusted to drive responsibly.
Is it an unfair generalization? Probably. But I’m not throwing you the keys to my car, as you walk out of a bar, either. Fairness isn’t much consolation, when looking at the smoldering ruins of an accident that was the reasonably predictable outcome of that kind of fairness.
Wages are slowly creeping up. Take the best possible gig you can get with your experience. OTR wears on your body and adds years beyond your age. Hourly is still the best, albeit you can end up putting more wear and tear on your body than OTR where you can often get plentiful rest if you are smart. Learn the ELD system. Most allow you editing.
Not 1 good comment
“In addition, the off-duty time doesn’t count against their 14-hour clock. ”
“The short-haul exemption now allows drivers operating within 150 air miles of their base to drive without keeping records of their duty status. In addition, they are allowed a 14-hour on-duty limit.”
So from what I see that the company can do is call you into work at say 8AM (a hour to commute there) demand you work till say 6pm that’s 10 hours let you go home (two hours commute) call you back in and expect another 4 hours? This is BULL CRAP 14 hours max regardless once the time clock starts that should be it!
Tell them “no”. This is what you are legally allowed to do without being cited. There is still a rule on the books saying that they “shall not” require a driver to operate a commercial vehicle while “fatigued”. Tell them that you are “fatigued”.
They will of course, can you, but then it’s a nice fat lawsuit. Which will take forever and cost you everything you have, but fight that good fight for justice! For safety! For everybody else’s good but your own! And if you lose, sleep well at night under that bridge knowing that you did the Right Thing! 😛
Lmao
Hear, Hear!
Or just find a new company 😛
Company can’t force you to drive
I’m told that you can’t drive without a license, too, but I’ve seen people do it…
Mark Albert is on the right track. It’s not always as easy as he makes it sound, but if your carrier is abusing the flexibility of your logbook to run you into the ground, and won’t take “no” for an answer, then it’s time to start looking for a better employer – whether or not it turns out to be a driving gig.
Honestly, this is a job without a future. It’s fast-food work with a wheel, a logbook, and both a doctor and the government up your tailpipe – in addition to your boss. A lot of the time, it doesn’t even pay as well as fast food work. If your employer just won’t let you get enough rest, then it’s straight-up slavery – arguably, torture of the sort prohibited by the Geneva Convention – and you just gotta draw the line.
Well besides complaining I’m thankful for some kind of change in the trucking industry. Most of you are right if we shut down for a week we can change a lot more! it’s all about sticking together as one! We have the power but, we afraid to use it.
We have no power. In a week, they’ll have us kicked out of the trucks and a fleet of trainees driving them on permits, if that’s what it takes.
We are not so very hard to replace that we have some kind of power. There are other modes of conveyance, drivers in neighboring countries, military drivers, and self-driving trucks. It’s similar to having those guys that hold up stop signs in construction zones, go on strike – they can be replaced by a peice of wood and some sand bags.
Stop thinking that you are “essential”. That’s just a euphemism for “expendable”, that they used to make you feel important and keep ypu working for less than they were paying the “important” people (with your payroll tax money) to stay home and pick their noses.
We do not have any power.
You would if you were a Teamster.
I’m a free man who has never rented his job from anyone or paid for the privilege of working somewhere. Too old to change that now.
Problem is that we’re not “unified” enough to make it work as there will always be someone to “lowball” the group. Politicians thrives on dividing up people to maintain power. If we didn’t have to live paycheck to paycheck and we paid more attention to the whole picture and closed ranks like doctors then we have the power to leaverage against industries and cities.
Problem now is we’re too divided as a nation thus making it easier to get picked off.
This. ^^^
We feed the WORLD, THAT’S POWERFUL!!!!
Unified stop sign holders are just sandbags and boards in a junkpile.
In order to have power to negotiate as a labor force, you need to be unified, necessary, and at least difficult or expensive to replace. We aren’t any of those things.
We don’t feed the world, farmers do. We just bring the food to the table, and there are other ways to do that, and other people willing to do it in our stead. It *might* cost a little more. Maybe. But the difference represents our relative value, and it ain’t much.
Teamsters had power because Jimmy Hoffa was mafia-connected and not afraid to break some knees. Today, those tactics would be met with military force that a bunch of fat truckers could not hope to overcome. Get over yourself. We’re not warriors. We can either work from the seated position, or refuse to work from the seated position, but standing up is not our thing, and when we do fight, we’re laughable.
We have no power. Our jobs have no future. We’re already being replaced by boards and sandbags – er, I mean, computers and English-illiterate foreigners. Stop pretending that our problem is that we’re disunited. That’s nonsense. It’s merely the predictable result of not adding or possessing enough value to be considered valuable.
Eld don’t matter to me because I don’t use them I love being a cattle hauler an 50 miles from my pickup an drop
Does the “short haul exemption mean those drivers aren’t required to keep logs of any kind, paper or electronic?
Yes. They are still supposed to adhere to the HoS regulations, but they are not required to keep or maintain a record of it.
Ive been in trucking for 40 years, 30 as a tanker driver both owner/op and company driver. Drivers have been saying the same thing for 40 years. If we shut down for a week. We could get what we want. It won’t happen and talk is cheap. Unionize and close this country down, only way it could ever happen. When the Teamsters were strong, politicians listened. Then Reagan broke the unions that POS. UNIONIZE
It only worked because the Teamsters were connected to the mafia, and people were afraid of Jimmy Hoffa, as a result. Unions today are little more than corporate mouthpeices, whose existence robs individuals of the opportunity to negotiate. Even if we could actually form a strong, non-corrupt union, we aren’t so irreplaceable that we would have any power. It’s too easy to use other modes of transportation, or contract with Mexican or Canadian carriers, or bring in immigrants and give them two weeks’ training… We do not have some kind of unique, difficult to train, skillset, that gives us an edge in negotiations. We’re not Air Traffic Controllers, and *they* didn’t have any power, because they could be replaced by military personnel. We’re not even that special.
We do not have any power. Shutting down only gets us fired. A union wouldn’t get us anywhere, even if we were the one industry that could form a good one. Unions don’t break people’s knees, any more. If you don’t like the conditions that we work under, find some other work to do. It’s good advice, even if you do like your work environment, because this is a career without upward mobility or a future. You want your voice to be heard, but they are only listening for silence – so go get a business degree and become an overpaid corporate nosepicker. They seem to have some power. Become a government bureaucrat. They seem to have some power. Truckers have none, no matter how we organize ourselves – or don’t.
You’re right truckers don’t have any power anymore. But I spent 32 years seeing our power and enjoying the fruits of that power-thanks to the Teamsters. I never saw any legs being broken although I saw some rough elections where drivers had it out-not Union officials.
So believe your masters-since you have no source of valid information-but I know the facts. You would fit right in as a driver in some banaba republic. You’re no American.
They willnt aloud O/O to unionize In some city’s an states , the O T R An LTR companies hv it block to ware O/O can’t come together as one” a few company are roadway,yellow cf salya freight ups FedEx warner Walmart us express USA trucking Abf it’s a lot more company but for the most of it they block us n the courtroom they file something against us to keep from coming together, because we will put them out of business two states I know is louisiana Texas, go look it up check the city an state to ware u live at too,
Independent businesses cannot organize per federal law-Sherman Antitrust Act.
I’m a free man who has never rented his job from anyone or paid for the privilege of working somewhere. Too old to change that now.
The Teamsters were weakened by the De-regulation of trucking during the Carter Administration.
You can thank the Independant Truckers for that legislation. Since De-regulation the Teamsters have lost membership, and with that power. Now the ATA aka Fed Ex, Swift,Werner, Schneider, etc., have the power to bribe, I mean lobby the Beauracrats for the rules and pay they want. The Clinton Administation changed the status of the truck driver at the Dept of Labor from a Skilled Trade to a Non- Skilled Trade, virtually killing the wage growth. That was brought to you by the ATA. So blame them, not Reagan. He only went after the Air Traffic Controllers, and government unions.
I’m very disappointed in the way most of the drivers insist on being slaves to the system.
If you want to make money in this industry find a company that will pay you for all your time,not just when you are driving.
Learn to take a break like any other job. You don’t see a construction worker missing a break. But most truck drivers are more than willing to cheat on their break just to meet the customers unrealistic demands.
Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I retired after 47 years and 6.5 million miles without an accident, only had a handful of late appointments and they were not because of HOS regs.
Be responsible, don’t let the company force you to go against what your body is trying to tell you. No load is worth your life, or the safety of others.
Amen Royce! I’ve had to push passed my fatigue to make the planned stop before drop. Not what I want to do on a regular basis!
True that
I don’t know who you guys drive for or what you haul I drive 350 to 500 miles a day almost everyday and days average between 7 and 8.5 hours. My truck has an ELD I’m leased to carrier and I make good money. Don’t come at me with that bullshit that I’m new at this cause I’ve been long haul for over 25 years.
The started with the ELD system cause you crying bitches that wanted try drive around the clock were falling asleep behind the wheel putting people in the hospital or killing them. The purpose of ELD’s is to make sure you stop get some sleep. Cry all you and your right if you don’t like quit there are plenty people to replace you. I’m sure you know that cause it’s almost impossible to find a parking space especially after dark.
There is always a place to park..
Legally? With restroom facilities (running water)? Shower? There’s only so long that you can go without one… :-/
Yeah, there is always a place to park. But the piss bottles eventually lead property owners to post “no parking” and “no truck” signs, and then there are citations and boots on your steer tires. Or there is (sometimes) paid parking, but we don’t all make enough to afford to do that, and the fact that most carriers won’t foot the bill reflects how much they care about the problem.
Of course, there is always a place to park at the truck terminal, after you turn in your keys…
When are we all going to take a stance this is all about the insurance companies using the “professional” drives as the scapegoat for all the horrible 4 wheelers on the road it’s them that cause the accidents not the professional drivers in semi trucks
I think the cause of tired drivers are the because of the way they are paid, by the mile or by the percentage.This has also caused the increase in truck crashes since the implementation of the ELD.The companies just cranked up the speed on their trucks and expected the drivers to complete the same routes as before.
I worked as a company driver for two years it was horrible,the cranky exdriver dispatcher had your entire 14 hour day planned out in his mind for you and there was no time a 15 or 30 minute break.I would end up making my 16 or 17 hour day fit into the 14 paper log.
This article is wrong the fmcsa did not include the off duty pause of up to 3 hours
Kind of ..if you sit 3 hours you can do a 7 hour break to get fresh hours..
While the points made are endless, but by no means pointless, it all means nothing if the truckers of the country won’t band together and shut this crap down until they are truly heard load and clear. Shut it ALL down. WE have the power, WE the people.
But as long as we only just sit around and do nothing but belly ache, piss and moan about what we keep allowing them to do to us without any form of retribution, then they will continue to ignore us.
The admins are against us. The special interests are against us. The feds are against us. The court of public opinion is against us.
The DECK is stacked against us. And until we ALL come together and perform a massive table flip, it will always be against us.
Band together to stop it, or be chained together by it.
A week after shutting down, a fresh new crop of foreigners will be driving in our place. We’re not irreplaceable, so shutdowns have no power. We might as well be dirt, protesting abuse by farmers.
The only out, is to quit, and let someone else do the suffering. There is no negotiating. Even if there were, most of the things we might ask for (and we can’t even agree amongst ourselves about those) would require Congressional approval, and Congress doesn’t do anything quickly, especially when the House and Senate are run by opposing political parties.
What is it that you think you can get, even if you *could* organize a shutdown?
We have no power. We haven’t had any power in decades – and it isn’t coming back any time soon, because we simply aren’t that important. You can very nearly train monkeys to do what we do – they have eyes and thumbs; they just won’t sit still or do as they’re told. But there are hundreds of millions of people that would happily come to the United States and drive like slaves, if given the chance – do you think they couldn’t be given the same crummy training that most of us, got? Do you think that the refugees in ICE detention centers wouldn’t jump at the chance? Would there be accidents? Sure. But there are also accidents, now. We already weigh the value of life against economics, when we lift COVID-19 restrictions to allow businesses to reopen. Do you think that the math will be different, in replacing striking drivers with scabs?
We have no power. We’re not special, or valuable, or hard to replace. If you want to be one of those things, get some real training in a skilled profession, and get out of driving. There is no saving driving, as a profession. It’s the fry cook of the professional world, and there are a hundred other pimply-face teenagers, waiting in the wings to replace each one of us.
Let’s stop crying and let’s get organize so we can have a voice we need to put a end to all this unfair act of forced driving within 14 hour day.
The DOT is easily influenced by corporate pirates listen there’s driver shortage in this country, so the plan is to work the current batch of CDL OTR drivers to the brink of destruction. If the industry wages offered a better wage, more young people would come to this industry. Then we wouldn’t have storage of man and woman power.
There is no driver shortage. There never was. There are more trucks than drivers, and more drivers than freight. If there were a driver shortage, we’d all be breaking 3000 miles per weeks. Instead we sit on loading docks waiting to be loaded or unloaded, or at truck stops waiting for a dispatch. The waiting is what burns our clocks and wears us out, not the driving. The clocks and parking problems are what push us to drive faster, not the miles, and the waiting is what burns the clocks.
Store shelves are full. There is no shortage of drivers; if there were, the shelves wouldn’t be full.
We don’t have a shortage of man or woman power, and if we did, wages would rise to correct it. It is because the driver shortage is fiction, that wages continue to remain flat.
Your right wages have been flat for a long time. The rule change for the 30 minute break was badly needed. I could easily speed 2 to 3 hours getting loaded and unloaded at a shipper/reciever (don’t let them go to lunch). There never was a driver shortage it was more about driver retention which some of these companies need to address, also they want to lower the minimum age for a CDL. If they could get away with it. It would be right out of high school.
Big deal.
We don’t need a clock on a computer to tell us when we can and cannot drive.
It should be up to the driver o make the call to stop and rest. The 30 minute break was designed by lazy people, And the 11 hour rule. Who needs to sleep after being awake for only 11 hours?
I know some of you guys can’t drive 2 hours without a nap. The rest of us can go literally for days. 24, 48, 60 hours in a stretch.
It’s funny how the ones who have never driven a truck make the rules.
Isn’t that’s the truth! However after driving through a tropical storm, 11 hours is a long day!
You.are the reason for the rules I for one do not want to be on the same road as you and have been driving for 20 yrs
I’m with you about the stupidity of desk jockeys writing the rules.
But safe driving isn’t just about staying awake. If you stay awake for 24 hours, your reaction time slows down, no matter how strong you may think that you are. Just because you can, doesn’t mean that you should. Rules or no rules, you should be taking breaks. Not because you’re lazy, but because you are responsible, and want to keep everyone around you – including yourself – safe.
The new rules are a little better than what we had. Just a little.
E log is good an bad , the good part for trucker that otr they company can’t make them run more after they 10 hr an it’s a lot of company that was doing that “ no more paperwork, bad things is lousing time getting loaded an off loaded 3-4 hr are a lot of time to gv up , win u running otr are short haul , thin dot with let me check ur e log mess , me I say 16 hr straight with No charge 2 breaks are 16hr with A 1 hr brake with no charge to our driver time
Over 20 years driving, May and July this year, shot at twice while driving in the Cinny Area. Taking a break to downsize home into something smaller. Not sure if i will return. FMCSA thanks. you really know how to hurt the country.
The 30 minute break is now on the in duty not driving that still eats in your hours available for your 60 or 70 better if its logged off duty. Oh well stupid PhD people.
Those that drive and are greedy for money go home and do something else because 9 times out of ten that’s what you need to do.Those that drive and are not greedy are less likely to cause a accident or turn a CMV over or crash unless they are trained to be greedy and it soaks in buying all the material things going into debt and then your greed gets worse and then it’s to late.If you can’t stand the heat get out the kitchen before you burn yo house down.
That’s my final answer
If you can stand the heat Don’t burn the eggs the bacon the toast the oat meal the rice the hash browns and your companion.
41 years I’ve been in the trucking business, I cant ever recall money of and consequently being in dry box or reefer ( to the driver)
Never, not ever, in the last decade, have I run as a broker ( truck only, no trailer owned by myself) for less than $3.25/mile, it’s out there, but ya have to grow a pair and stick to your guns, and get out of dry box and reefer. Pull heavy, dry bulk, specialized flats, RGN .
I run 4 days, Mon to Thurs every week, $4500 gross, 23% fuel and the clincher, sold my money hungry Pete 379, 2003 CAT 6NZ. I loved that truck, a show stopper, but now run a old school Detroit engine with 21% less fuel for my dedicated run. That’s $11,600 / annually in fuel savings alone.
Go down the road looking pretty in your 379, or make money being smart, it’s a call you all can make.
Been driving for 34 years now, 6 years for people, and 28 years as my own company. Slowly over the years added trucks, and employees, my first driver hired was 26 years ago, and he is still with me. Now I have 17 trucks, 21 trailers, and contract another 2 O/O tractors as well. Things are going great, and these improvements to the hours make an already great business, even better. Those who are not happy driving truck, should quit and find a new career. Many of us love it, and the day I stop loving it, I am selling everything and retiring.
Jason, check back in after you own your own truck for a year and spend half your life waiting to be loaded or unloaded. For free! Then come back and tell us how it doesn’t bother you
Approximately %7 of over 3.5 million truckers vote. Wonder why no one seems to care ? Trust me, if we voted, things would work in our (drivers) favor
I have been driving almost 15 years and I was on paper logs when I first started driving. The only part I like about the E-log system is the fact you don’t have paper to deal with period.
I just wish we could cheat a little on the e-logs and all I mean is for little minor issues like going a minute or two over your time and that is about it.
To me if you have never been on the road as a long haul driver and i mean staying out on the road like me for almost 15 years straight at 3 months at a time and take only 3 days off after your 3 months of duty driving you would understand the difference of certain driving jobs ( local, short haul , etc. ), drivers are not all the same , some are ass kickin workers and some excuse me for saying are just homeless people looking for a place to live and don’t give a shit about the job , or you have your
Pl0uptight good ole boy drivers who have a stricked regime of working 8 to 5 so they can be home with their wives and kids.
What my point is that the government system is trying to make everybody the same in a world that isn’t that way and all that tells me is we are headed to a communist country way of life , mark my word folks.
To the HOS really isn’t a big major change but just wiggle room.
seeing as it seems another of you guys are royally being screwed by your companies i felt like chiming in.
Been otr since 2012, I know I’m still new but I’m a 2nd generation and grew up in my fathers peterbuilt. All of those saying let’s band together and shut down, sounds great right? You are aware that currently there are permit drivers operating trucks all around the country as we speak that would gladly take your spot. Also usps already runs completely autonomous trucks from Spokane Washington to Atlanta GA overnight every night, 1 way non stop. The days of “professional drivers” are sadly coming to a end thanks to the megas and the “school” they put these new steering wheel holders through.
New era, new rules, new trucks, lawmakers who has no clue at all about trucking, but, they know it all, well Tesla has self driving truck 30 break while the truck drives, sit back and relax for 30 minutes.
Everyone is a world of their own…I worked for a company as an owner Operator leased to them. Thought I was making a killing… then left and went to landstar… thought I was making great money.. then the eld came along worried It would affect my pocket…never did… now i work for myself with.my authority and the eld… NOW I am making real money. I take weekends off for my 34 while I stay in a hotel and enjoy my professional tourist style of driving. What I’m trying to say is. This is a life style. No particular type is better than another. It how you do things an your approach in how you view it. I do dry van.
Me too can’t figure how some drivers can go with such little sleep. I need at least 8 hours and I’m a local day cab driver!
Have you ever heard of the RICO Act try that see what happens
I will say since I entered the trucking world in 1979 this industry has made a TOTAL FLIP. No one stands up to anyone with power or authority. I personally have no issue with that. I look at all this changing going on as such, I’m glad I served the industry when I did. I’m happy I left when I did. I Do not have to except change. I will change myself to follow my goal in life. MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!
Little sleep no sleep. Did you mean drape over the steering wheel so you don’t get too comfy and keep your eyes open while you nap for 10 minutes. Can’t afford to waste time. After 3 days steady I was sleepy but I managed to stay awake with ice facials coffee lots of cold fresh air. Singing to the radio on the road again. How about 18 wheels and a dozen roses. And if I had a cb well I kept others awake too even if they did want to sleep for reals. I just knew I wasn’t the only one who held the 3 day stay awake record. I am thankful for sleep I wanted to dream about it but I was always too busy driving. Be safe.
Teslas truck designs they ripped off. But the trucks look good on paper. Is that a hydrogen fuel they use? Just when you bought your truck again a new improved version comes along for the better. Now who will drive it? Or will it be computer controlled.
Almost 40 years on the road. From dry van to refer to flat bed , tankers, gooseneck. Doubles 26′ trailers. 42′ 48′ & 53. Old pete’s old kws old everything but it ran strong. Mostly I worked day n night no help. Nobody there to be my human fork lift. I froze without heaters working. I roasted with no air conditioning. I made repairs with tweezers and finger nail clippers. And sleep just didn’t exist. An air seat was luxury. Power steering power brakes. Not like today. Brakes don’t catch on fire like they used to. Perhaps that jake brake failed. It was fun when you lost your brakes the ice made it even more of a challenge . Ya those shut off valves never did stay in place right. And if you ran out of donuts you’d best apply fifth wheel grease and tap on the gland hand to tighten it a bit. Might want to wrap tape around it. There’s plenty of things to do when your in that oldies but goodies days. Yes I used to decorate the trucks for Christmas but the ice would freeze my display and no one could recognize them I always put a wreath on the grill. It was for the radiator. I was trying to keep the wind off. But it’s all in the way you make it. You took the job now enjoy the sleep. Your fortunate to have a job during this time. You have it easy now a days. I got into it for the air horn and the jake brake.
KB I gave you just tons of info are you asleep?
3.5 million drivers should equal 3.5 million voters, you talk about getting organized, guess what, you are ,If you vote. You have the best way to change things! Write, call, email your representatives, congressional and senatorial officials. The Squeaky Bearing Always Gets The GREASE. I’ve emailed and sent letters and will continue to do so, make your voice heard to where it counts most!
I do exactly the same thing. Love it.
SHEESH!!! Still glad I’m retired!! OMG , what a bunch of idiots! Look of the RICO act and it’s charges/fines to anyone trying to stop interstate commerce. Not that you stayed on topic; the new rules !!! Seems a lil easier than before. A lil nap before the “rest of the day” was nice. 14hr bull kinda screwed that up. Now you can do a 3/7 split! Just what the Dr ordered before rush hour. My God pull ur big boy pants up !!
Again; sooooo glad I’m retired
You are all going to find a way to put in 90 hours a week anyway. The companies are still going to hold you hostage at their docks and then cut you out on the street when you don’t have any hours left. “Personal conveyance it 150 miles to the nearest truck stop, ” they will tell you after they bang their clenched fist on your sleeper berth while they are also clenching their teeth and their overworked sphincter.
That’s why I love to drive a truck with a glider kit it makes me elog exempt especially if the engine is earlier than a 2000 year, all I have to do is deliver the freight and be sure my fuel stops match my log to the rest of y’all I hope it gets better for y’all if not consider getting a glider kit truck you don’t have to worry about Def fluid and the engines run better
Our jobs will be replaced by giant drones. Controlled by 18 year old.
Being attacked on every side like county mounties on mopeds. Bears in the woods N super Troopers.
I don’t know where you drive tankers at but I have done it for 22 years with several different companies and I have never been paid for sleeper time. And as for making big money it doesn’t pay any better than anything else.
You’re right wages have been flat for a long time. The rule change for the 30 minute break was badly needed. I could easily spend 2 to 3 hours getting loaded and unloaded at a shipper/receiver (don’t let them go to lunch). There never was a driver shortage it was more about driver retention which some of these companies need to address.