Change in HOS coming???

there is currently a process underway because the FMCSA and the feds settled the lawsuit with the teamsters/public citizen, etc. over the 11/14/70 rule and promised the judge that it would be reviewed and there should be a rule pending by the fall, if they stick to the terms of the settlement. right now, the lobbying process is underway for all concerned, as well as the usual congressional hearings once the election cycle is completed then too.

 

I agree that we could go back to 10/8 and split any old way without the 34 reset. I don't go home. I live on the road. I'm not out here to sit around for a full day because I'm only getting 3 hours back and can't go anywhere. It's a waste of my time and it penalizes me for something that happened last week. I get peeved about it because by the time I'm having to sit for a restart, I'm not tired any more and I want to GO. But I can't. It frustrates me.

 

before 34 it was 72 hours to reset your week. The guys who do come home could never get it done. It may be meaningless for a hardcore OTR driver, but I know there are drivers out there that love that change.

 

#### right! The 34 hour reset is the best thing about the hos. If they plan to get rid of that I'd think it best to just get rid of the 70 hour rule altogether. Keep the 14/11 rules and the 10 hour break and just run on that but have an ability to stop the 14 hour clock from ticking but still require a 10 hour break to get a new 14 back.

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I do not agree with getting rid of the 14 hour rule. I do not agree with being able to split a 3, 4, or 5 hour break to stop the 14 hour clock.

We've been there, done that. When you are able to use a 5 hour break to stop the clock, guess what happens? You end up sitting at a shipper or receiver for 5 hours, and your carrier expecting you to drive all night to make that early morning appointment. So what if you are tired? You're legal driver, now drive. Under the current system, if I'm held up at a dock for more than 2 hours, my carrier is usually on the phone wondering why his truck isn't getting loaded. Why? Because now i can't make that early morning appointment, and now the carrier is losing money too. After the new rule, dock times are down, because the carriers had to do something about it, because now all of the sudden it was their problem too. Before, they could care less, because you were expected to log that as sleeper time and split it. Accidents are down. When I started driving in the 1990's, trucks flipping over in the ditch because of a snoozing driver was almost a nightly occurrence, and something I saw just about every morning. You rarely see it now.

With a 34 hour restart, I can drive 11 hours out of 14. That's three extra hours...how much nap time do you need? I like the new rules, they are safer. I think going back to the old rules would be a huge mistake.

 

I didn't go home for years, I now have a run that gets me home on the weekends. You aren't managing your time correctly. I drove OTR for years under the new system and not once did I need a 34 hour reset. I never told my dispatcher i had more than 9 hours to run on any given day, then I 'd only run 8.25-8.5. Keep it under that, and you can run every day.

 

Well...let's hope Obama doesn't adopt the European HOS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drivers%27_working_hours

Drivers would go broke under those HOS rules...

 

I've done both ways and I like the flexibility. Just depends on the runs you get man. Obviously you had a system worked out with your dispatcher to do that but most drivers don't get that luxury. You know freight comes in spurts.

What I hate are unnecessary resets (waiting on freight) but usually when I made good money, it was because I drove hard on good runs and then reset and was able to do it all over again when the freight was there.

My point is, if you get rid of the 34, then the 70 needs to go too without a cap at all on "available hours" other than the 14/11/10 rules we already have.

 

That's complete bull, My company installed Quailcomms on the truck and we have to follow the HOS on 4 of them. I have paper logs, If I am tired after fueling, Pre trip and loading and unloading I am left with a 1 hour or so nap providing I have not burnt up my hours eating/showering. This is not do to poor trip planing this is do to the #### 3 hr's a day you get and you can't stop for 1 minute without being under the gun. Really, You can't even take a good #### with out rushing becasue of this.

I also worked for werner and was told, "Drive your hours". If you enjoy getting stuck at places waiting for your hours back then you can have that computer all you want. In-fact it's causing more accdents then people think. If you can't take a snooze or so for about 5 hours then there is no point, You must "drive your hours" tired. Not me, I'll rip out pages so I can take a good 5-6 hour nap if I get tired, Not going to end up in a ditch becasue of some stupid computer or hos tell me otherwise. My body tells me when I am tired and I sleep when I need to and how munch I need to.

If you start out your day you lose 15 minutes right away so you have 2.45 left on your 14. Now you unload and you need to log line 4 for 15 and wait about 45 minutes. So now you have 2 hours left, Hit up the truck stop and grab some fuel and some food while rushing mind you take about another 30-45 minutes. So now you have about 1 1/2 left on your 14 never mind if you have to take a shower or get loaded. If you need to move to a pick up now you will burn the rest of the hours left and guess what. You must drive your hours without stopping for a snooze if you need to. There are many different ways this can happen and to many what if's to cover. But some where along the line this happens every day to them company drivers with the quailcomms. I rather have it stop the 14 once you enter sleeper so we can get sleep when we need it IF we need it.

 

We had several threads on here while the FMCSA was having the HOS listening sessions.
A few people commented with them and gave the input.
Most did not.
So when/ if it changes and you do not like the changes you can only blame yourself.
It was in every trucking publication, info was on many web sites etc.
The info was there, how to add your input was there.
I listened to several of the sessions. Actively participated in a few.
The actual driver turnout was low at all of them. Even at the ones that were trucker friendly. The final one was at the Mid America trucking show. Thousands of drivers were there. Only a few hundred came to the listening session.
We are our own worst enemy. We all want to complain, and when the changes come we cry louder.

All of the complaints I have heard did get expressed loudly at the sessions though. Especially the lack of flexibility in the 14 and time sitting at shippers and receivers.
Actually so much info was given on this that Congress has started an investigation on time wasted at shippers and receivers.
I think they were listening. So we will have to wait and see how it goes now.
If you would like to view the listening sessions they are still available on the FMCSA web site.