June 6th: Article updated to reflect that the Senate Appropriations Committee has voted yes, the bill must still pass the full Senate.
An amendment making its way through the senate that would suspend the restart provisions of the July 1st, 2013 HOS rules has been passed. The amendment still has to be approved by the full Senate and the House before it becomes law, but the 21-9 vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee is a major step towards repealing the most contentious aspect of the updated HOS rules.
If the amendment goes through, the limit of one 34 hour restart per week and the requirement that it include two periods of rest between 1-5am will be suspended for one year. During this time, the FMCSA would be required to study the effects of their restart rules.
The amendment was proposed by Senator Susan Collins of Maine who said that the FMCSA’s rule resulted in “unintended consequences” that had an effect on the trucking industry. Other senators who voted to pass the amendment voiced other concerns, such as Sen. Mary Landrieu’s claim that the thought of the federal government telling a trucker when he or she may or may not sleep gave her a “visceral reaction.”
Of course, not everyone has been for the amendment. According to an article published by Overdrive Online, FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro spoke in favor her administration’s program saying that it was the result of “rigorous” and “unprecedented analysis.”
“Yes, there has been an economic impact on the industry. We certainly recognized that that would happen,” she said. She went on to excuse the economic impact by say that “the majority of the impact is on the long-haul, over-the-road, irregular route driver,” both slighting OTR drivers and making a claim that Sen. Kelly Ayotte called in to question by commenting that she was shocked by reports of the impact the restart provisions had on both OTR and non-OTR carriers.
Though the FMCSA claims that it is too early to see a measurable impact caused by the HOS changes, supporters of the amendment claim that the restart provisions have caused increased congestion by forcing trucks onto roads at the busiest times of day. According to an article published on Fleetowner.com, even one senator who voted against the amendment said that he would support a change that would suspend the specific provision that related to the 1am-5am requirement.
“I would like to have truck drivers have the option to stay out of the Chicago Loop during the busiest time of the morning,” said Sen. Richard Durbin. “I don’t think that makes it any safer for them or anyone else. And if they want to start driving at 3 a.m. instead of 5 a.m. to avoid congestion in the Loop, I think we ought to have at least some consideration of that.”
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So you mean I could actually start and end when I wanted to without totally screwing up my sleep and landing smack dab in the middle of rush hour further disrupting traffic… Wow, that sounds like common sense and as we all know the government will have none of that. Nothing like waking up at 3 a.m. Monday morning to make it to my truck by 5. Sleep is overrated anyway and that’s why God invented coffee, cigarettes, and little white pills. Its not like I need breakfast or anything to keep up my stregnth since I am a robot. Plus, forcing yourself to stay awake makes the job more exciting… nothing like the thrill of Russian Roulette in a 40-ton death machine to get your blood racing. What will law firms like Dewy, Cheatum, and Howe do for money if we actually make the roads safer… I mean think of ALL those poor starving lawyers who won’t be able to buy a new Ferrari because of the lack of revenue from accident cases and all the people whose lives will be spared from more attentive, well-rested driving behaviors… That certainly isn’t helping decrease the surplus population.
On a side note we really need to stop letting thieves and mentally handicapped individuals who know nothing about anything run government agencies. It isn’t working out so well.
FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro said “the majority of the impact is on the long-haul, over-the-road, irregular route driver”, defending the agency’s 1-5 AM rule even though they KNEW it would have an economic effect on the industry.
Isn’t that just like a statist, who sees nothing wrong with the government telling you and I how we can live? Their objective is, and always will be, the complete control of every aspect of our lives. When we can drive, where we can drive, what we can drive, what fuel we have to use, what food we have to eat, what we can’t, and on and on. And now, through the bureocracy, the EPA has begun to tighten their stranglehold on we, the people, through rediculous regulations, some of which are enabled by the courts.
Take as an example the thing that you and I exhale, plants need to enable photosynthesis, and is used to fight fires: CO2. Now, the EPA has succeeded in getting it classified as a pollutant, and therefore subject to regulation. This is just another step in the Obama administrations goal of shutting down the coal industry.
All of the people pushing these type regulations can’t see past the end of their nose, and are only interested in making sure THEIR job is justified for another budget cycle.
Every one of them, from that clown in the WH on down, are criminally complicit in the attempted destruction of this country.
I couldn’t have said it better and I whole heartedly agree.
i really wish that you could interrupt obuma’s next public speech and orate your post so maybe someone would hear it and try to do something about it. unfortunately, not many people listen to that clown’s speeches anymore.
Most of these hours of service new rules have generally been good for me. I am owner leased to major company and they have all the miles that I can legally run and they are happiest when I can run all of them. The 34 hr restart gets me two days at home when I get there instead of one day and an unusable pc of the second day as my home time which was unsatisfying and not restful. These other complaints sound like an owner of trucks not a driver or if he is a driver, he is a tired driver.
Sounds like you might want to go to a day cab then! Also sounds like you might be yourself a non driver or just a company robot. Maybe have dedicated run’s? I do not see , nor get close to home for months at a time and my re-start is my down time. Take a day n half off and back to running miles for 70hrs , then take re-start. Home time ? what is this ? You made a bad choice in jobs if you need to be home that much. Go drive that day cab and stay local , that is not OTR trucking! This 7-8hr days and live on re-cap hrs. I’m loosing money? That does’nt work for a OTR / longhaul driver in a real world market place. You got : Pretrip , PU/tiv/paperwork , fuel/scale , postrip , 10hr , pretrip , DP/tiv/paperwork ? Now factor ; traffic , hills , more fuel , line in the fuel line , multi DP-n-Hooks ( five DP-n-Hooks in one day ) tiv’s , dock time , trip plan , transflow , looking for a empty , place to sleep , eat , shower and laundry. Most of us where already taking more than a 1/2hr break to begin with. It as made DBL’s or dispatchers / planners more tight on eta’s and nat’s. Makes me rush more than helped! tick tock tick tock…..
Self centered, I have never seen so many tired drivers on the road since the new rules to effect.
21st year OTR, have run the same dedicated route for 4 years, now two weeks are screwed up if I don’t make it back by 1:00am, speeding to do so.
I used to get 36-38 hours breaks and have never drove tired, like I see so many now doing.
Who named anyone God to say I must be off 1-5am
Night driving is what I love, and it has been taken from me. Look bigger dude, you want Safety ticket ALL texters, and give local authorities ability to ticket tired drivers. Everyone has cameras.
Brian White, I agree this whole DOT change the rules thing has gotten way out of hand! The problems point to more density of population, expanded growth and increased traffic. Thus making highways more congested which causes more accidents. Many other problems stem from outdated infrastructure within older downtown areas. Prime example; Kedzie ave s Chicago. Many drivers making turns off this road drive across the sidewalk corners due to congestion and infrastructure.
As usual, let’s pick on the driver to make his schedule a bit harder. Major 2 lane highways from Madison, WI to Chicago, IL should be 3 to 4 lanes by now. Janesville, WI is a nightmare during rush hours. I am sure other areas throughout the country are as equally becoming more difficult to maneuver.
Hours of service changes will NOT increase safety! This will only add to delayed shipments of product and reduce the quality of service from carriers. The problem is greater than driver hours of service!
its a good move on their part to eliminate this but its going to come back and bite us in the ass because they see now little effect and when they do their study again it will show little effect so that will be their target to strike. they will say ” look,they wanted to eliminate this and it hasn’t changed so,why did they want it eliminated.” this may sound stupid but I also am a truck driver.I drive or should I say I am on duty for 8.25 hrs per day. I am not affected by this rule because I drive to the same place every day,take the time to get there and back when I get back I am off for 1 hr because my next run doesn’t leave till 0745 giving me the 1/2 hr off that I so such need,hum ok. I do hope that things change for the better though.
Good morning drivers . I am home this morning , but old habits are hard to brake . I have been up since about a quarter to five . I am glad that the mandatory rest period has been put on the back burner for now , I am an old school driver , I don’t have much time left out here , thirty seven years up and down the road , all my life setting behind a steering wheel , it stands to reason , where ever my load delivers to , I want to get there before the morning work traffic starts . I try to make my job as trouble free as possible , and that means I have to avoid as much traffic as possible . From 1 am to 5am , Some time , that’s when i do my best driving , to deliver on time . I should be able to start my work day at any time , long as my log is legal . best of luck to all you hands out there , be safe .
As a 32 year driver myself I agree Walter,
The best time to drive is at night. Way less texting idiots on the road and way less stressful.
In all my years of driving I have never needed anyone to tell me when to sleep or when to drive.
With these new HOS rules there are so many trucks on the road during the day it is crazy!
The 30 minute break is BS….just something to drag your day out longer.
After 5 pm it is near impossible to find truck parking because of all the mega fleet solar powered steering wheel holders.
This entire industry has gone down the crapper because of all the regulations.(along with the pay)
These Idiots in Congress need to step back and let us do our job!
It baffles me that truck drivers are more regulated than airline pilots or ship captains!
They have made it so damn complicated I about have to go through a check list to see if I missed a rule. I finished my run early one day last week and went to help a relief driver complete the run he was on (we run our products down the ramp with a 2 whee hand-truck) and ended up using the 2 hour exception to get home, but I thought I needed to take a second 30 minute break and It put me back in my yard 2 minutes late on my xata eobr so i got a violation. I found out later that I could have made it back without taking the second break and been within my HOS.
Truckin’ sure ain’t what it used to be when I started in the 1980’s!
I started 9 yrs ago and the man who taught me was a former driver and dot inspector. He told me, ” don’t stop before the big city if you don’t have to cause the traffic the following morning will eat up your time and make your left leg hurt.”
Now if ol’ Annie was to get off her dead ass and come on out and drive a truck, she may sing a different tune when she got back to her office. However, she won’t do that cause she’s afraid the higher ups will find out just how useless she is and do away with her position.
It’s not enough that we have to deal with all the crap out here, but we otr irregular route drivers shouldn’t have to worry about our uncle kicking us while we’re down.
Why is it when things are going so bad we have to worry about some Washington lot lizard wannabe wanting to get in our truck, wallet, and life. Leave us the f*** alone, let’s do our jobs and provide for our families with our poverty level pay!!!
Let us do our jobs and provide for our families with our poverty level pay! So true and sad..
If you objective was to shut down the country were would you direct your attacks?
Typical government soup sandwich.
As a former trainer, this rule makes me mad as hell. The last month of training we would for the most part co-drivers. I like working nights. Making me reset with two night stops puts me down for two whole days. I said former trainer because that rule made me leave the industry, my monthly earnings went down by almost one thousand dollars. That rule cost me my mortgage payment every month. Good luck guys, good ole gubberment ain’t done with you yet.
I am glad someone is doing something. The 34 hour rule has not affected me, but as I am 1/2 of a team, it has affected my wife who drive nights. The hogwash of this two 1-5 periods! She drives nights so her sleep patterns get fouled up by this ludicrous rule.
I am also a night driver and completely agree with you. The new requirement of 1 – 5am sometimes leaves the night driver sitting for as much as 51 hours before you can legally move. That puts a serious pinch on the paycheck!
Also, I do not appreciate the government telling me when I am supposed to sleep! It is not their business to govern my personal sleep habits as long as I get the required 8 hours in a 10 hour break. They have no right to tell me when that sleep period should be in my day.
This hasn’t passed the Senate it just passed a Senate Committee. The Senate will have to pass it and then the House needs pass it. This is part of a funding bill and this provision will have to hold on tight.
The same gove.rnment that comes up with “flexible” explainations no matter what facts later come to light. If they are tryin”g to make trucking a “9 to 5, Monday thru Friday” job, they obviously don’t understand the industry they are charge with regulating…
hello. The government on the side of big business is targeting the OTR driver to make it less and less inviting as a career choice (as if that is really what all truckers yearn for) in my opinion: to aid the acceptance of robot trucks on the interstates. The self-driving cars are here, and they are testing the trucks in the mines. Drivers will still be required to hook at the off-ramp and kiss a dock, but the corporate computer geeks really want to eliminate human jobs wherever possible- …and long-haul OTR is an interesting objective. The un-feasibility of this concept (think about tire maintenance, fueling at driver-friendly stations,etc) does not fail to detrimentally influence government regulators whom are only too happy to believe whatever vile dictum their corporate masters spew. Screw the OTR driver hours, make their lives more miserable- for the corporate profit bottom line. The lobbying groups in Washington,DC only represent corporate butholes enacting rules and regulations to help them monopolise their industry, which is why we have to support voices representing the drivers.
Wallie world bought 1500 Pete’s hybrd electric truck , Freight has been testing hands off cruise that will be a multi package option : pre ” dick ” cruise , on guard ( locks the brakes when it see’s its shadow ) and the lane eye’s ( so that now yu can make a sandwhich ) . Some might be orange?
Larry, I agree with you totally. I ‘ve been saying the mega truck companies are working with regulation to get trucking so that a driver is unable to make a living driving. In turn the Mega trucking companies are investing in robotic trucks for the long haul.
Just emailed Sen. Ayotte thanking her for her actions. While I don’t like the new HOS rules, we as an industry did this to ourselves. When Anne Ferro and the rest of her people went around the country asking what we wanted in the HOS rulings, the majority of comments were about drivers wanting flexibility to take a nap. This was wrong. We should have asked for flexibility of the HOS rules in order to get through the congestion that surrounds the major metropolitan areas of the country. By simply stating that “I want to be able to take a nap”, one can simply not make a statement like that. It makes the truck driver appear to be immature in the eyes of the FMCSA. The FMSCA heard us asking for nap time, and concluded that truck drivers are similar to children and need naps during the day, not grown adults. We screwed up and I don’t know if we can change things without a lot of hard work.
Let me get this right , 1/2 is a sleep time? If you can fall asleep in the time from seated to the birth , then you needed to pull over along time ago! four lines basic rules , drive – birth – on – drive ? right… Yes, drive time – 1/2 nappie – 15 to 20min walk around and back to drive? or drive – off 1/2 break ( go inside to piss ) – on ( walk around inspection ) – drive ? tick tock tick tock… forced you into spend less time in a ON duty , due to the 14hr clock ticking from pre-ptrip to post-trip
thats the good news. the bad. news is thier just going to pay some more “experts” to lie about their study, history repeats itself. but maybe just maybe theyll get it right. would hurt us any if they fired that anne whats here name that has no bussiness deciding whats rught for us.
I can see that Richard has no clue about humans and their physical makeup. EVERY physical being on this planet has ebbs and flows in their daily energy cycles. Why do you think even office workers hit periods when they struggle to stay awake? Before micromanagement I would sleep for a couple of hours every afternoon. It didn’t hurt me and it sure as hell didn’t hurt anybody else. What is wrong with being more alert and on top of your game? The rules virtually guarantee that people will be driving tired when a simple nap would make the job safer for everybody. Annie Ferro should have been an abortion.
Hahaha abortion, sadly i agree
Just curious, why do you need to “sleep for a couple of hours every afternoon”. Your words not mine. If you cannot stay awake for 14+hrs per day, you might want to look into the causation. Could it be your diet? Could it be sleep apnea? Could it be that your not getting good sleep during your off duty/sleeper birth time? What would cause you not to rest or sleep?I truly am concerned when I encounter people who have a difficult time with staying awake. Personally I do very well with 6-7 hours per day.
Oh my Richard, may I ask a few question of you?
How long have you been driving? If you are a driver.
How old are you?
Do you solo, a trainer, dedicated run or team?
Do you OTR or day cab driver?
Do you go home weekly, semi monthly or rarely?
Do you drive in the city a lot or occasionally?
Do regular workers work 14 hours a day every day? NO
By your remarks it’s obvious that whatever you are doing you have not been in trucking very long OR you have what we call in the industry a MILK RUN.
Not all human beings have the same genetic make up. My brother-in-law was an engineer at Fords and every day he took a nap on his work station for half hour, he only worked 10 hour days.
Might you have a CPAP ? Can or do you get into the trailer ? Is the other side of the truck a waist land of wrappers ? Maybe a user of the five gallon travel cup’s ? 7-9 hours a day , but throw in load in the day and un load at night ( which you started your clock’s at night and get a new pick up sent out to get after , which DP’s in the day and back to a early morning live unload )
Funny Douglas. But yes we should be able to extend our 14 hour clock with a little nap. Did it all the time except I still had to lie and log sleeper berth when truthfully I was on my comfy couch at home.
There is a lot wrong with current HOS. Hopefully we can push for more after this. Does it seem like Congress is listening ? We have to persistently contact them and let the squeaky gear get the grease.
Ok ,finally people with brain and common sense ia speaking!!!
I am a trucker who got mad enough to run for office.
There are far to many things attacking us, from States with stupid laws (no engine idling in -10 degrees? or 130 degrees?), to the Feds pushing this no extra resets in a week (wtf, I was on a 4 day schedule and then reset, why is that a bad thing?), to police hounding trucks for extra cash.
I got tired of it all.
I applaud this effort. The recent rules from DOT all need to be scrapped, the people who made those rules need to be determined for culpability, and the worst ones fired for cause and never allowed to work in the Government again.
Let’s set up a time for us all to meet in Chicago Loop.
@richard you sound like an idiot, all we want to do is take a nap, really
And this is why the hours of service are in the state they are in. If you had addressed the issue as mature, educated individuals when asked we wouldn’t have this mess that we are in. But yet I’m the idiot.
Douglas Kirk, go back and read Richard’s post. Understand that he is saying that asking for ” nap time ” without an attached 1500 page explanation of ” a nap” hurt us. Pretty sure Richard understands the ebbs and flows of the human physical makeup, he is a human. Just like you not thinking about what he really said and posting a comment about how ” he has no clue ” is exactly the misunderstanding he is talking about. We need to start standing up for each other although we don’t completely understand or agree with everything the next guy says. Maybe ask for clarification of a comment before trying to make someone ” look stupid “.
Hi All,
I am from Australia we have had our latest New Log Book issued which is called a National Heavy Vehicle Logbook but two States refused to sign up to the totally useless requirements. As most have stated in the these comments its just more “red Tape” in the most over regulated industry in the world. If you run 15 minutes over your work time or past the 5 hour limit and a police or transport dept. officer pulls you over its a $400 Fine ! That’s a lot of money to recover on peanut wages. Add in a few spelling mistakes or making too good a time between breaks and you could be in for Thousands of dollars on one page and they can go back and check any previous page and book you.
Regards Sean
Keep it Safe
It’s about time
Perhaps, I should have used simpler terms for my initial post. Instead of telling the FMSCA that “we’re tired and want nappy time”, why didn’t we ask for flexibility to stop and restart the clock for things like congestion around the large cities? By telling FMSCA you want nappy time, we in fact told them we are no older than a bunch of preschoolers. I’m sorry if I offended people with words larger than single syllables.
Did you know in some other countrys “nappy time” is promoted in most work places for higher productivity, and happier employees. It keeps the mind sharp,aids in health of mental and physical nature. Exactly what would you be doing if you needed to extend your 14 h clock? Taking a “nappy time” might be one of the options. Adults having naps just keeps them from being hebetudinous.
I fully agree on the 10 hr break, Its about time. But if they want to point the finger, look at the shippers and recieviers. The games they play. It should mandatory 1 hour loading and unloading.I started driving in the late 70’s and still driving.
But really concerns me, The fumes that come into the cab from the burning chemicals that the government wants the truck manufacture to install egr systems and def, regan system, where’s the safety in that, Driver is overcome by this(fumes). I know first hand what can happen. Hospital visits, drivers found dead in there trucks, died of natural cause, or heart attack. what a Joke. Nothing but a coverup. and Stop treating Truck drivers second Class.
And put more safe havens out there, try to find a place to park, after 8pm
Heh, good news all around. Appeal away all that nonsense.
Who regulates the office ” prairie dogs ” ( DBL’s / Dispatchers / Planners ) ????
What is to blame for keeping trucks on the roads in the metro areas during the busiest hours is not the 34 hour restart provision, it’s the 14 hour rule. The 5/5 split needs to be revisited.
I came off the road in 20018 after seven years. Things were fine, just wanted to watch my babies grow up. Spent 12 years in the oilfield driving various trucks until it dried up locally. I finally made the leap back out here one year ago and I have to say more has changed than the hours of service garbage. Common courtesy among drivers is little to none. I watch these steering wheel holders run 65, governed of course, then do 30 through the truck stop parking lot. Safety?! Pfffft! Hey, they gotta make up time somewhere right? HOS, what a load! In my opinion, give us back the flexibility to schedule. When we start our 14 hr clock there is no give for ANYTHING! There are days I can do 500-650 miles and feel good for another 300, then there are days when I can’t get 150 down the road and could use a “nap”. Or I stop before rush hour in some major city, for safety reasons, mine of course, but the clock penalizes me and I lose that time. My idea is, let’s combine some of the old rules with the new. How about keeping the 34 restart, more than once a week, because trucks do break down and drivers lay up in motels while repairs are made, or loads cancel as well as a whole host of other examples. Hey Anne, if a driver is not working, THEY’RE NOT WORKING!! I don’t care for the 10 hr break, but keep it because there are many drivers out here that can’t function on less than 9 hrs of sleep, so I’ll concede. Do away with the 30 minute crap, I’m gonna stop at some point anyway, just don’t tell me I have to and when. Keep the 11 hr drive time, trucks are a lot more comfortable nowadays. Keep the 14, but do away with the “start of the clock”, that allows flexibility to avoid rush hour, inclement weather conditions or a nap if needed. That is safety. Besides all that, truck stops/legal parking areas start filling up between 3 and 5 pm, which causes drivers to park on ramps and other unsafe areas. By you, Anne, telling me that my clock has started forces me to drive during rush hour when you’re trying to commute to work or home. Wouldn’t you rather I be parked up waiting on on you and others to get to your jobs, or perhaps I made it through before you even got out of bed? Hey, that’s one less truck on the road in your way! Or maybe I need that nap, and I’m behind you in rush hour, but I have to keep going to stay on schedule, which means I keep my lowly job, which means my family gets to eat for another week. Which is safer?? Keep the split log provisions, just have the 2 hr minimum not 8. Keep the 70, but make it 7 days instead if 8. We don’t change our own tires and crap anymore. These “new” HOS are just like obamacare, a typical one size fits all government band aid that doesn’t work as envisioned. Just because Johnny Driver needs 10 hrs of rest doesn’t mean I do. I function in a fog when I get too “rested”. I know when I’m tired and when I”m rested. I don’t need some bogus sleep study done by crackpot scientists with numbers that can be manipulated, just as in “global warming”. When I leave home I’m all business, I’m out here to get the job done and make a living as best as I can, safely, so I can get back to my family. Flexibility is the name of the game in this profession. Give me flexibility and you can ensure a safer attitude and operation. Drivers, for the most part, aren’t busting the rules as in the days of old. Between the low pay and fines/jail time, we have seen that it is just not worth it anymore. How about addressing the driving schools, or puppy mills I so affectionately call them. Here’s where the problems begin. No “black boxes” unless they’re installed on EVERY vehicle on the road. No speed limiters, we have enough elephant races going on out here. No mandatory computer logs, I for one can figure my hours without using my fingers and toes and know whether or not I can make a run legally. You call us professionals (which is a far stretch for many out here), so how about treating us as such and listening to us for a change instead of special interest groups who have a vendetta against our industry. Contrary to popular social belief, many of us out here have not just loads of safe experience, but a little common sense and education as well.
Never going to work. A shipper will say to XYZ Refrigerated Transport “pick up my veggies in Lamont, CA at 0600” and if XYZ declines, ABC Trucking says yes. Fuel, truck and equipment prices have been driven as low as possible, and driver pay+hours have also been squeezed dry and as long as someone else will do it, nothing will change.
it does not matter. at this point trucking is so broken only a complete collapse will fix it. Senators might as well come up with a regulation mandating rainbows shooting out of ones arse for all it matters now. Do the real math knuckleheads, not that new car salesman math that some politicians and CEOs’ seem to love.
.. Welcome to Berlin 1936 the question is, are we going to be goose-stepping drones.. .. Ornot.
After the Walmart truck that killed one and seriously injuring three in New Jersey the other day, anybody expecting a loosening of HOS restrictions can forget it.
The 1-5 part of the rule doesn’t effect us, however I agree we should be able to drive whatever hours we choose as some prefer that. The part that does effect us is only being able to do a restart once a week. How can it be more dangerous to take a restart more than once a week??? We are hobby truckers and we do a rounder from Arizona to Alberta, over to washington and back down to Arizona . The stupid thing is we can’t spend a couple of days when we get to Alberta to visit out daughter and call it a restart. Did I miss something??
I too have been driving for a number of years and I can definitely say that the industry has changed quite drastically some for the better but most for the worst if Washington DC wants yo make rules for us then let’s see one of them come down off of there high horse and take a ride with those regulations that they are imposing and see what they think after getting a taste of reality then go make rules