If you could change the Logs?

I'm in WI now, well I'm in Montanna right now but I live in WI. And I'm desperatly trying to sell the farm and move to TX. Can't take the cold like when I was younger. Too many achs and pains now

 

Gity up cowgirl!

Hell ya I'm outa WI. I'm SOOOO tired of the cold. and the uptght, backward thinking people.

 

You believe with the 10000 smiles on here there isn't one with a cowboy hat on! jeeze

 

WI is a very nice place. the people are very nice in general too. I's safe and a goo dplace to raise a family. however althought it is generally a "blue" state the people are painfully obstanant when it come to change of ANY kind so I clasify them in the extreamly conservative catagory. On government level they are horrible micromanager on a state and local level and they try to involve themselves in every aspect of your life and if you own property just forget about them ever leaving you alone. This is my major beef. I like to just be left alone and it never fails around here someone won't let you just be left alone.
Plus our taxes have gotten horibly high. My propety taxes have almost trippled in 6 years. wages are okay but when you factor in the tax burdon and the high property costs they are low and have been totall stagnant in the last 4 or 5 years. They have one of the best chool systms in the country but as soon as kids graduate they leave the state so we are stuck with the old codgers to deal with

 

As some of you know I have been in college for a while now and in one of my classes we were asked to write an essay on a topic that affected many people and is hotly debated. I selected the hours of service and driver pay. I presented it in a way that I haven't seen one person mention other than myself. While I know that this doesn't address all the issues it does present an alternative way to resolve several issues at once. So here it is and have fun tearing it apart. I'm interested to see what is said. By the way I got an A+ in this class for this so thanks cause you all contributed to my grade. You made me think.
By the way I have a poll on www.truckerspaces.com about this and I'd like to see some real numbers on it. So if you have time and the desire go vote it's here http://www.truckerspaces.com/poll/. I am going to send the results of it to my elected officials.

Drivers, safety, and how to resolve the problems.​

Since 1939, Drivers, in the trucking industry have been excluded from the protection of the Wage and Hour laws that protect most workers. Changing the current laws to provide drivers the same protection that other professionals receive could be one solution to the current hours of service issues debates.
There have been many lawsuits filed by safety groups, companies, and drivers as well as numerous heated debates, and millions of dollars spent on studies of the impact that the hours of service has on drivers, drivers health, the public, and the environment. Our “government officials” spend this money in an effort, to decide those issues.
Currently, one of the most hotly debated topics, is the hours of service that a driver can work as set by the FMCSA, (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration). The current laws allow a driver to work seventy hours in an eight-day workweek with a thirty-two hour off duty reset. The average pay scale is between $50-60,000.00 per year. These grueling hours are something that most people could not do on a regular basis without a terrible toll on their health, family structure, and mental well-being.
Some drivers are paid based on a percentage of the revenue, or by the mile, and seldom receive any compensation for delays. The financial benefits from exceeding the speed limit would be a moot point if drivers were included under the Wage and Hour Rules. Currently, drivers spend numerous, uncompensated hours to get loaded and unloaded at uncaring and rude shippers and receivers facilities.In most instances drivers, are not permitted to leave the facilities for food, or showers, and are refused access to bathrooms and break rooms. Most of the time they are required to be on the dock while at these facilities. They are required to wait for regular servicing or repairs to equipment, again without being paid one dime.
My solution to the hours of service fiasco would be to put all drivers on an hourly wage.

Argument For​

1. By covering professional drivers under the wage and hour laws, the drivers would be less inclined to exceed the hours of service. For all practical purposes, drivers receiving an hourly wage would have no need to exceed the hours of service in order to make a decent wage.
2. Their would be less instances of drivers exceeding the speed limits in order to compensate for unpaid hours at shippers and receivers, traffic jams, equipment failure and other things that detain and delay drivers.
3. Fuel mileage would increase, and fuel cost would decrease due to the lack of excessive speed and idle time that trucks and driver experience on a daily basis as scheduling would be more effective due to the cost of having drivers and equipment idly waiting.
4. Total cost of equipment ownership would be lower, as equipment longevity increases due to more efficient and cost effective maintenance.
5. The cost of insurance would decrease due to the decrease in catastrophic accidents as well as lower speeds.
6. The driver’s ability to get the proper amount of rest would increase because of monitoring and better time management.
7. Only authorized driver management personnel there could view the driver’s progress thereby protecting both the drivers and company’s privacy.
8. On board recording devices would assist in the defense of drivers, companies and Owner Operators, wrongly accused of speeding or making unsafe maneuvers with the trucks. Owner Operators and smaller fleets would be able receive tax incentives and grants to pay for the addition of on board recording devices on equipment that is not equipped with it from the O.E.M.
9. The civil courts would not be as backlogged due to the decrease in litigation which is linked directly to claims against insurance companies as well as un-insured converge claims that have an adverse financial affect on the trucking companies and Owner Operators.
10. The public would pay less for products and services due to more efficient use of drivers and equipment. Any increase in fees and charges, would be passed on to the shippers, receivers, and the trucking companies.

Argument Against​

1. There will always be drivers that exceed the hours of service for several reasons: the weather, traffic flow, equipment breakdowns, and illnesses. Some drivers would attempt to “ride the clock” so as to make more money. Perhaps some would take routes that were not the most time efficient routes.
2. Some drivers, due to bad habits and training, will exceed the posted speed limits, disregarding the fact that they are in fact removing money from their paychecks, causing harm to themselves as well as others. Some will do in it order to get home faster.
3. In fact, fuel economy would not increase. This is due to the drivers not having enough hours to get home, or to a facility, which has shore power and services.
4. There is no cost effective way for owner operators and smaller fleets to install the on board recording devices unless law mandates it. This action alone would spark off more litigation quoting privacy law violations and undue financial hardship.
5. It would, in fact further bog down the judicial system at all levels due to older equipment that was not equipped with the recording devices by the O.E.M. Small companies, and Owner Operators would file suits under existing grandfather laws currently in place.
6. Undoubtedly, any attempt to change the current laws would cause the government to start more investigations, and feasibility studies, there by causing even more unneeded expenditures of taxpayer monies.
7. The cost of any grants and tax incentives would ultimately be born by the public by the use of tax dollars
8. The public would ultimately pay a higher price for all services and goods. All consumable goods in the U.S. are transported, by truck, and the increase in driver wages would be passed on to the consumer.

Closing Statement​

In closing, there is no good way to resolve this issue or to satisfy all the interested parties. The ultimate solution should be safety first, for all that are concerned. Trucks and commodities are expendable. Human beings are not.

 

what is it about women liking a man who is happy to last 8 seconds ....baffles the mind i tell ya