Eliminate Hours of Service

Discussion in 'Trucking Industry Regulations' started by RigJockey, Aug 9, 2021.

  1. RigJockey

    RigJockey Bobtail Member

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    Aug 9, 2021
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    Curious on other drivers' thoughts about completely abolishing HOS rules.

    There are already regulations barring drivers from operating CMVs while fatigued.

    The current rules are, and have been, arbitrary. Emergency rules & MAP-21 exemptions have already highlighted this.

    I can, in theory, drive for 23 hours on top of on duty hours under MAP-21, take a 4 hour nap, and be good for another 14 hour non-exempt day under MAP-21.

    Conversely, on a non-exempt load, I can oversleep on an 8/2 sleeper berth split and be totally boned because of the way the rules are written despite only needing to drive for 10 hours after a ton of rest.

    It doesn't mean anything to say you can only drive x hours with x hours rest in x number of days. That doesn't represent the reality of the work and that is the exact opposite of safety.

    FMCSA & highway patrol should be mission focused on enforcing safe driving (no tailgating, speeding, equipment maintenance, etc.) instead of worrying about how many hours a driver works.

    Fun caveat to removing HOS regulations from drivers, regulate shippers & dispatchers on how they are allowed to schedule loads - if a driver shows up early and gets unloaded, cool. But regulate them in a similar manner to how we're regulated...like for every mile over 600ish miles a load has to travel, they have to allocate another 10 hours to the load.

    How would a person go about petitioning our government overlords to make such a change. Is this even a popular idea among other drivers?
     
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  3. Team818

    Team818 Medium Load Member

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    Everytime I drove I thought about it. Well... its true.
     
  4. MIT

    MIT Road Train Member

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    Work smarter not harder.
     
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  5. Team818

    Team818 Medium Load Member

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    I think working with the ELD adds stress and strain. Drivers know when they are tired. Just have a 14 hour clock PERIOD. Do whatever up until 14 hours then you must have a 10 hour break. The ELD shows when you fuel, when you load or unload. 10 hours is fine after 14, of course if you want more sleeping time, you can stop anytime before the 14, but you cannot drive past the 14 hours. So simple. Pay Drivers by the Hour. If you are live loaded, live unloaded, you will make more per hour. Bills MUST be Stamped. Not "oh I forgot". It has to be worked out of course. Once in 7 days you get a 34. That is to be worked out by your company and their drivers as to what day that will be after 7 days or soonier if that is understood. You gross $1,600 a week to start. Raises after that. *** Must operate OTR in a Sleeper Cab Big Rig *** Double Shuttle Drivers, home everynight, or every other night if they stay in motel on one end. They need to negotiate their pay accordingly. Hire an Attorney, Sign a Contract. Doesn't have to be Teamsters. You hold meetings and You decide. Same with farm drivers, local drivers, though I think they are already hourly.
     
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  6. D.Tibbitt

    D.Tibbitt Road Train Member

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    I would be happy if they got rid of the 30 min break and the 14 as well.... I wish theyd get rid of the whole thing all together. But we all know thats just a pipe dream
     
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  7. Cat sdp

    Cat sdp . .

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    As someone who’s driven straight thru from FL to Mass 1300 miles . I hope they never get rid of the hours of service…….
     
  8. Team818

    Team818 Medium Load Member

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    You have 14 hours to do it all. Or drive 12. Maybe that would be better, but no driving after 12. You get a 34 after 7 days minimum, or before if you and your company or you OO decide to

    You can drive 11 now. So extend that to 12, and you must stop driving after 12. Period. All the other stuff is included in the 14 you do not need to go to line 4, actually line 4 would be gone. Its all Driving. So Lines 1,2,3. 1 is driving off duty home time, or 34 on the road. You are now paid by the hour. The company will make drivers stop driving for the day because of the hourly pay I am sure. You will not be driving 12, only part of that time, UP to 12 Max.
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2021
    Reason for edit: I left something out.
  9. Six9GS

    Six9GS Road Train Member

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    Problem with getting rid of HOS isn't the truckers as much as the dispatchers. HOS rules allow drivers to legally push back on dispatchers trying to get drivers to run more. And, although many drivers know better than to let it happen. Too many drivers are too susceptible to being pushed by dispatchers to drive beyond safe limits.
    So, as much of a pain as it is too adhere to HOS stuff, I think it's smart for the industry as a whole.
    My 2 cents at least.
     
  10. ZVar

    ZVar Road Train Member

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    14 doesn't bother me. I don't want to work more than that anyway. While the 30 is now better, it could be done away with.
    It's the 70 that needs to go though. What I did 6 days ago has no bearing on how fatigued I am today.
     
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  11. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

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    You know one reason why this industry is never going to be one of professionals is this issue of getting rid of hos and having to regulate the other entities, especially those who are the source of work.

    Childish at best are the reasoning from people who are absolutely clueless to what impact human nature has on an industry that lacks professionalism and what the reasoning is behind regulating behavior like drive time and work limits,

    First thing that jumps out at me is this isn’t about the op, so what if he and others can drive 24 hours and work another 24. It is about the least common denominator of the driver pool, the driver who can barely drive 8 and struggles with that. There were and still are many around who need to be restrained for public safety. If you don’t believe me, look around a truck stop and see how many are fit enough.

    HOS was put in place to limit the abuse the driver has to deal with by a carrier, the limits stop forcing a driver who isn’t equipped to deal with the time in the seat or working. It should be the old pre-1962 set of rules because that worked better than these monkeyed rules we have now.

    then we have this crap about elds, stress of using one?

    it is a reporting tool, that’s all and I have yet to see how that becomes stressful, and believe me I hear it from any driver who I have working for me if it is … and it isn’t.

    then this idea of regulating the shipper, you can’t both legally and ethically. This is our only source of revenue industry wide, you are on their dime, they are not on our time.
     
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