I have something to say about the HOS.

Not sure how it works out for you, but I can never get the hours at the right time to get any real advantage from split sleeper.

Of course, my situation is a little different than most, since I run a regional dedicated thing. As an example, I will pick up a trailer in the early am and run hard all day to do 4-5 stops with 500 miles, then my second day all I have to do is run the empty trailer maybe 3-400 miles back to the warehouse, with no real concern of when it gets back there. I need to get my stops off during normal business hours and will usually take a full 14 to do it, so I can not afford to lose that 2 hours. While I would get the advantage of only having to take an 8 after that, I would see no benefit from it as it would put me making deliveries after closing time.

However, I do see how it could be an advantage on multi day runs or places where you are having to wait at a shipper for at least 2 hours. If I ran a more typical OTR thing, I think that I would use it often.

 

I would like to see 14 hour drive time with no 70 hr week and no 34 reset but still a mandatory 10 hr sleeper break. Thats more or less what every other job has.that way you can still run and get your sleep in and fill up a 24hr day every day.

Here is the link, this guy says it better than I could.

http://www.truckdriversunited.com/hours_of_service_changes.htm

 

LOL, what is "BFI"? I assume it refers to Big ##*! companies? I agree... eliminate 70 hr. rule as long as the 11/14 are observed and obeyed; I was happy with the old 10/8 (I usually took 10 when schedule allowed it), but it is a waste of my time to sit, somewhere, "twiddling my thumbs" for a day and a half to get hours back. Make it "driver's choice" after, say 2 or 3 weeks, when to go home. While away from home, I want to run... safely of course. I do miss being able to split the shift (8 hrs. in the bunk isn't a split, although it has been handy a time or two at a long pick up or delivery). You can't put truckers on a "circadian rythmn"; schedule times are too varied.

 

Cutting back HOS drive time from 11hrs to 10hrs along with the other proposed restrictions would in my opinion decrease safety on the road.

These restrictions motivate drivers to accomplish in 10hrs the amount of work they normally would in 11hrs. Where a driver might drive 700miles in 11hrs, now he's going to try to do the same in 10hrs. Which means higher speeds, more eratic driving, more frustration and stress. More accidents and fatalities.

If the folks in charge want to make trucks on the road safer, they should ease the restrictions, and give drivers more time to accomplish their work. Personally, i feel they should leave well enough alone and dont mess with the HOS. Its been reported that the accident rate among trucks has declined. Thats a good thing. Leave HOS alone!

 

In my opinion the HOS should have never been changed... these people claim it will make roads safer. Our accident rate is at an all time low, roads are safer than the past several years. It has nothing to do with safety, it's all about getting trucks off the road and freight switched to rail IMHO. At what point do you stop regulating and say ok we've done enough?

 

When there are no more American truckers on the road they'll probably be content with another job well done.

 

I can't believe some of the stupid poo they are proposing. 10 hrs drive time, max 13 hr work day, so if you need fuel at hr 14, you're outta luck, a mandatory half hour nap after 7.5 hrs driving, plus the reset would now require two consecutive midnight-6am periods. Say you get home at 12:30am... your reset will now take 54 hours.

The trucking industry is the safest it's been in DECADES. So what do they do? Tighten down the regs even MORE. Get rid of hour 11. You know what? More accidents occur in the FIRST hour of driving than in the 11th. Maybe they should get rid of the FIRST hour.

 

IMHO, I don't think the sole push is to head freight to rail. I think a bigger evil is what is behind FMCSA - ie large carriers. Look at the geographic locations where the 10 largest OTR companies have placed yards/terminals in the last 10 years and look at the majority of trailers on rail.

Corporations are real snakes and don't think for a minute that their plan was in the works long ago. Like 15 years ago. They spend millions per year lobbying and have greased the wheels to throw O/O and small companies to the ditch while increasing their profitable position.

It is a terrible shame that all of the HOS and CSA regs have been at the expense and detriment of the driver to earn a decent living and NOT at regulating the over handed tactics of companies that use forced dispatch and unrealistic load dispatching, then gripe to the driver when they turn in a log that isn't 100% accurate (due to unavoidable creativity) or sticks to regs and parks when their time runs out.

What can we, the driver, do other than complain? Hard to say. First and foremost, DON'T drive for any company on the advisory board. Second, OOIDA. Third, vote and keep in contact with your representative.

 

I exhibit some of the worst sleep habits in the world. Some days I am awake for over 24 hours (like now), and then there are some days where I don't want to wake up from a long slumber.

The point that I'm trying to make is that people's sleep habits differ. How can there be a law that dictates when people can sleep and how much sleep that they can get before resuming a split workday? It takes me more than 30 mins to fall unconscious once I lie down for a "nap". I feel more tired once I awake from a 30 minute "nap".

It is going to be very interesting to see how this all plays out in the future.

 

The biggest thing behind the changes is the stupid 'Safety' groups that don't have the slightest clue as to what is involved in driving these things. These groups just want to control something. Get these safety groups out of the mix.