Just weeks before the new Hours Of Service regulations are set to go into effect, a lawsuit has been filed to try and overturn them.
The lawsuit was filed by a coalition of safety groups and a labor union. The coalition is made up of the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, Parents Against Tired Truckers, Public Citizen Litigation Group, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
According to the groups, the ‘fast-tracked’ HOS changes were pushed through without taking the time to study its effects, and “without sound science.”
“Under the guise of increased flexibility, the changes will further exacerbate the already well-known threat of fatigue among commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers by significantly weakening current HOS rules,” reads a press release from the group. “In proposing these revisions, the FMCSA contradicted its own prior conclusions on these very issues and failed to undertake a proper analysis of the impacts the rule will have on truck drivers and the motoring public.”
Representatives from the FMCSA have said that the HOS regulations will go into effect as planned.
Source: fleetowner, overdrive, saferoads
Where is it going to cause fatigue by letting a driver take a nap.and never could figure out how they think it’s going to allow you to work more houres,their math just doesn’t add up.
Yes hours is a typo.my fingers fight with each other.
You’re probably tired.
There’s always someone that’s not gonna be happy. The new rules give us a little more flexibility. Safety groups… ha!! I’d appreciate it if the people making the rules stay at home and watch movies if they’ve never lived this life.
The ability to pause the 14 hour clock is a good thing;; because of the way wearhouse’s take so long to unload a trailer!! I worked in a wearhouse and I could unload a trailer in 45 minutes;;; it doesn’t take 3-5 hours to unload one!!!and because every one at the wearhouse’s don’t take into consideration construction delays, weather, and traffic accidents;; the change of the hos will give us drivers away to get some rest for up to 3 hours, and still have time to get the next load with out having too rush, !!! If they were really concerned with drivers being tired!!they would bring back delivery windows, and stop charging drivers and Trucking company for being late,,because 9 times out of 10 ,it’s because a wearhouse has taken too long to unload the trailer!!! So if they are going to charge anyone they need to charge the other wearhouse’s,,not the driver or Trucking company;;;
How is sleeping 8, then being off duty for another 3 gonna make me any more tired, amazing how people that don’t drive can tell me how much more unsafe I’m being
Except for the teamsters, these are groups backed by the railroads – who are interested in ANYTHING that will slow the trucking industry down and direct business their way. They are anything BUT “safety groups”..
Absolutely correct Tex. Its been the railroad and multimodal industry aka mega carriers who throw contributions to the advocacy safety groups and ATA to change the game. Look back 15- 20 years ago to the beginning of AOBRD in mega fleets and whose trailers were going for a piggy back ride. Its not safety. Its regional change. More freight on rail, no more OTR industry. Ms. Chao has an infrastructure plan that benefits both systems. Imagine that. If you see, there are large rail yards being built around country, and megas are the carriers from those yards. More volume, more hours for their drivers to move freight. Less pay as usual for the driver. “HOME EVERY NIGHT AND WEEKENDS” Clock the slave to, tired to death, to have valuable home time. 13.5 hrs of work, 2 hrs of too and from work drive time, 8.5 hrs to have with family. All for the great price of $44,000 a year salary. ELD, biggest slave device ever invented.
WOWW!! Man that is a very true statement….we must work for the same company. Except I don’t get weekends off, but the numbers do add up.
What a joke, park your truck like a did, don’t be slave of some group or the government telling you when and how to drive, isn’t this a free country so act like a free man, let them drive the truck themselves, the only way to stop the HOS mandate is walking away.
Does any of these ‘SAFETY GROUPS’ teaches four wheeler drivers how to properly enter a highway, or how to keep a safe distance from vehicle ahead, or how to drive without texting, or checking instastories, or driving with lights on when it raines, or staying in the right lane when slow? That’s what I would call ‘SAFETY GROUP’!
I agree! I’ve been pondering that question for years! I doubt it though, groups like these that have no working knowledge of affiliation with our industry love to dictate how it’s operated. we should start one(tadad) truckers against dangerous automobile drivers.
By allowing you to take the two and three hour exemption as not part of your 14 hour clock it now extends you out to a 16 and 17 hour day…It is making your day longer and less safe… Who wants to work that long…I don’t
So don’t split your breaks. Or split them the old way; that’s still legal under the new rules.
You aren’t being required to change how you run – just given some flexibility. It will probably get abused by some pushy driver managers, but they don’t write your log (unless they are also designated log managers, under your electronic log system…)
It feels as though this change at least comes with good intentions. And the road to heck is paved with those… 😛
Maybe someday we could just trust truck drivers to drive trucks. But, since we don’t (probably because we let people drive trucks after two weeks of classroom instruction and four hours of supervised time behind the wheel…), well, this is why we need books full of complicated rules that only experienced and already-competent drivers are even mildly likely to read…
Then don’t Joe Morone let the others do what they want to do if they want to extend their hours let them you’re just as bad as the safety groups then
Why don’t they train four wheeler’s how to respect truck drivers that’s the problem. Train them to stop filling the gap between us and the four wheeler in front. Reckless driving is almost always the automobile driver . Brake checking a semi never works out for them ,we live they die . Maybe whining little four wheeler’s will get through their heads no pun intended or is there . We , Us , the truck driver are not the enemy . I refuse to believe that ! Ya’ll lost a loved one we get it give us , trucks 80,000 lbs the respect we deserve on the road .
You will live longer ! Can’t say it any planer . Another thing quit bitchin there’s no groceries at the store because every time ya’ll cut one of us off you cause us to drive even slower . Your fault the four wheeler’s . Not our’s ! What we have to through to get a CDL you have no idea unless you have one .
You know what four wheeler’s I’m Suing You Too !
Screw it !
I’m going to start writing down tag #’s
Oh ! our forward facing dash cams don’t lie either !
More outside cams to protect truck drivers !
Idea 1
We are not the bad guy’s or gal’s
I like the new regs because when I am driving and only three hours left on my time but I need three hours to get there but I’m tired I can’t stop.I can now stop for an hour or so and it will stop the clock while I nap.
People who don’t drive commercial vehicles including big trucks shouldn’t get to decide regulations for drivers. Too many self centered control freaks on this planet. Who’s regulating the buffoonery of four wheelers and this current administration 🤔?
I’ve said it a hundred times and I’ll say it again: over 80% of crashes between cars and trucks, are caused by people in cars. This is from year to year. EVERY year. Moreover, people in cars kill far more people in other cars, nationwide, in a single DAY, than at-fault truck crashes cause in a YEAR.
The politicians are looking at the wrong people. Truckers are not the problem. The motoring public is the problem. However, truckers are politically convenient targets. Let a politician say he is going to crack down on general driving laws. Yep. You’d hear an outcry for every freedom advocacy group nationwide. You’d hear it just as loud from automakers.
This isn’t about making our highways safer. This is about politicians making names for themselves. Seizing opportunity for self-aggrandizement. Cowardly, opportunistic grabs at voter-recognition.
The worst part of this is, we truckers are caught in the middle of it. We just want to do our jobs and go home. We just want to earn a paycheck. Yes, we’re high visibility and yes, trucks can be very dangerous if mishandled. But look at the statistics. We’re not causing the problem.
So cut us some slack already. This first, true step at HOS reform was a ray of hope for us all. So please don’t screw it up for us, all so you can just get your name on a wall.
So glad I was able to retire this year. Commercial driving (Was a HAZMAT driver) just isn’t what it used to be.
I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about.
Stay safe brothers and sisters.
Teamsters are to truck drivers what the NRA is to gun owners.
Shame on them for joining with such anti-safety groups as Public Citizen.
The current HOS force a tired driver to continue driving, racing the ever-ticking, unstoppable 14 hour clock. There is no flexibility for a driver to stop if fatigued, to avoid rush hour traffic, or for a maintenance issue or accident/ weather delay.
Further, many humans have circadian rhythms other than 24 cycle and shipping and receiving facilities darn sure don’t care about a driver’s sleep cycle.
The only safety problem with the updated HoS is that they don’t go far enough to give a driver flexibility to both manage fatigue and be productive. However, they are a small but good start at getting back to the flexibility of the old HoS.
100% agreed Mr. Mike
The original HOS worked perfect. Thats why they were original since the 1920’s if i remember correctly. Majority of new change is all about control and productivity. Let the officials and advocates keep making changes. We will all become, again, very self sufficient to live our lives. The LAZY and WOE IS ME types will be first heard. I LOVE THIS GAME. Still on paper logs, keep truckn
As long as everyone, truckers and farmers, know how to plant a garden and raise animals. We’ll survive just fine. Enjoy the inventory at your local stores everyone. Even Amazon will flourish out of site.
Most people live in communities with restrictions on the raising of animals. Where I live, chickens are considered a nuisance to the neighbors, and not permitted, and the Humane Society has it’s own uniformed police officers in much the same way as a college or the Postal Service.
Knowing how, isn’t the whole story. Being allowed, matters, too. We can’t all afford farmland – and when we can, taxes may make farming less economical than Amazon or Walmart… :-/
Don’t you just love it when it rains and the 4 – wheelers don’t even light up the parks. That way , when their in the tire mist you can’t hardly see them ? How about the idiots that turn on the 4 ways on dark rainy nights, now you’re blinded and can’t see anything in front of you but, flash- flash- flash !!! If it’s raining hard enough for you to flip on the 4 ways , it’s raining hard enough for you to get off the road!
If you try to organize a safety group you might hear That’s not their job. That’s somebody else’s job. Your dealing with people who have one job .And one job only. It’s not their job.
Instead of suing the FMCSA, how about going after the shippers and receivers??? While they’re at it, the repair facilities.