Here We Go Again...Goverment And HOS Rules....Never Set In Stone...

While you make a good point, we cant continue to do the same thing again and again and expect a different result! That is the definition of insanity! I think we all agree that the system we are using today is not achieving the desired results in terms of safety or driver retention. I think we need to explore alternative ways of pay.
There was a posting a few days ago of a company, ?Dupre?, that went to a pay by the hour system and it has proved to be
a much safer, more efficent, and overall better system for that company.
Closed minds learn nothing.

 

I mostly agree but I think if EOBR's end up in all trucks and the Federal monitoring of all violations including equipment violations you'll see the super trucker disappear . There will always be newbies because there will always be drivers quitting .
I've always enjoyed driving and have it better now than I ever did . But I'm really looking forward to retirement because it sure ain't what it used to be and it'll only get worse .

 

I'm driving local now, and I'd love to get back OTR (though other jobs are on the horizon that have nothing to do with big rubber tires)...

I have.. problems with EOBRs - which are at least exasperated by my lack of knowledge on them. From what I'm hearing, though, they will certainly put a crimp in 'business as usual' - for both drivers and companies.

I find myself questioning, also, what the customer's reactions are going to be. If it's no longer possible to 'fudge' a log so a driver can scoot 5 miles down the road to a lot where he can sleep, what is the driver going to do if the shipper / reciever runs him past his available time?

I will say this, though... I'd more than likely happily swallow my initial reservations if my EOBR employer paid by the hour.

 

The government can not and will not make any rules that directly effect the shippers or receivers. It's is going to be up to the trucking industry to force change on the the shippers and receivers. Currently the trucking industry doesn't, because drivers will fudge the books.

EORBs are going to fun when they take over OTR trucking.

I work for a small company, paid by the hours and pulling our own product to customers that have already paid in advance for it. I do not sit more 10 mins waiting for a door, after 10 mins I call my company. They call the customer and I either get a door or in 10 mins I call back, and then head back to the yard. The customer then has to pay for the shipping again or pay a not delivered penalty. I have only ever had a problem once at a new customer, the receiving dept tried to treat me like and OTR driver and said it would 2 or 3 hours before they could get me. Call in to home base and was told bring it home.

Mark

 

Wouldnt be great if all trucking companies adopted this thought process? Hourly pay, no messing around at the customer...NICE!

 

One of the major differences between what I do now and what I did OTR is the type of company I work for. The current company manufactures and sells a product, shipping is a small part of it. They do not allow outside trucking companies to ship there product, shipping is included in the contract price.

Mark

 

just get rid of line 4 we be all good.

 

My company started an electronic-logging project thru QualComm to see how it is going to work and get the wrinkles out of the system before it becomes manditory. While I haven't been put on it yet I know some drivers who have... they threw all the miles they could at some of the solo guys who recieved some of the best checks they'd ever had, and it doesn't appear to even be a problem with team ops. FM posted a message that it hadn't decreased fleet availability either. So far its been a good experience here, from what I've heard.

One thing to remember is that on electronic logging you actually do gain some time back... the system logs to the nearest minute... not the nearest 15-minute interval.

 

Yes I do. Who are the drivers that we all pass, and they are usually doing the speed limit? UPS and other hourly paid drivers. They do not usually look like they are so tired to me that they are going to fall asleep at the wheel.

 

UPS is paid union wages . What kind of hourly wage do you think bottom feeders will pay ? Drivers will still be underpaid willing to work extra hours or afraid to say no and be punished by sitting and losing more hours .