Here's a big HOS shocker...

Agreed... when we were on the old hours of service rules and we took time off, most of us would log 8-9 hrs on duty for our off days. There was no 34, so when those zero hour days (your days off) would come up, you wouldn't have any hours coming back to you.

Much better system... and yes, the 70 is dumb.

 

Bottom line is this

They could care less what we think .. It's a formality to listen to us so they can say they did ..

They are gonna make law what lobbyist say make the law

Plain and simple ... And then say that they weighted out all safety factors in determining their decision

Blah , blah ...

We are gonna do what they say were gonna do and that my friends

IS THE REST of the STORY !!!! ( Paul Harvey )

 

Here's something worth thinking about....We all get held to a higher level of responsibility. Why not have about 100 senior drivers from all hauling classes (with about 20 yrs min exp) sit down with these lobbyist and create a system where we can not only have reasonable appt times, at least living standard hauling rates and speed limits that are trucker friendly. It's a shame that a 4 wheeler can be on the road for 20+ hrs or more, sleepy, drunk, out of sorts and can get in a major accident with the only punishment being loss of insurance whereas we lose our livelihoods. Until we have people in the industry setting the tone for the industry, we will forever be just floating in-the-streets. Just my 2 lincolns worth of thought.....Good luck and drive safe!

 

Why is it that the same idiots that set up hos for truck drivers allow air traffic controller to work 16 hours a day. The rules say after the 16 hour day they have to have an 8 hour break. Just think about it. In that 8 hours they go home, average commute is 45 min each way, sleep, get up, eat, shower, back to work. How much time due you think they really sleep during that 8 hour break? If they are lucky they get maybe 5 hours. And yes they can pull a double the next day too. I guess that it's ok for air traffic controllers to fall a sleep on the job. Until we have a crash caused by over tired workers.

 

Not to mention, they get paid overtime and hourly and we are exempted from federal wage rules.

 

If your falling asleep at work you need to be fired. I don't care if you work with planes, drive truck, of flip burgers. If your to lazy to get the sleep you need before showing up there are plenty of people out of work that will.

I understand that without some regulation all the companies would run drivers into the ground like it was years ago. But at the same time I have never needed anyone to tell me when I'm tired. I think 11 is a good drive number. Are there days I could go longer; yep, just like there are days that I want to shutdown early.

The other thing I never understood is the 34hr restart. When you think about it this basically forces someone to change their sleep from night to day if they want to run right off the bat. IMHO this could tend to make people more tired. Just have a daily work limit and maybe 1 calendar day off restarts.

Personally I think regulating the shippers/consignees to stick with scheduled pickup/delivery times would be a good solution to fatigue in a lot of situations. That always seemed to me what caused me to get tired was waiting all day to be loaded and then basically being forced to run all night on top of it to make a deadline. This isn't so bad at the places that will let you sleep during loading but I have been a lot of places where you must be in the front seat or a mandatory orders to wait in a drivers lounge area.

 

What annoys me is people giving out invalid and wrong information. In addition citing a source with no credible evidence other than they disagree.

Like your statement this is another insipid D vs R thing. That is a lie. The current incantation of the HOS is a direct result of lawsuits filed by Public Citizen, the ATA, the TCA, Teamsters, and OOIDA and in fact started during Bush's first term.

However since that fails to give providence to the victim-hood mentality permeating society and this industry people will create tales like yours to garner support for their argument.


Agree with your assessment of the 70 hour rule. Don't believe you will ever convince labor leaders to get it removed.

I believe the 14 hour hard clock should stand. I believe most drivers will succumb to pressure and hide time spent on duty as off duty thereby covering others failures in loading, unloading, maintenance......... inside of any 24 hour period as you submit. I believe that after 11 hours driving and or 14 hours on duty a driver reflexes and cognitive function are diminished to the point of needing a break.

If drivers and companies will hold others feet to the fire like ours are instead of covering for them, it is my opinion, the industry would smooth out.

Same with my belief of EOBR's. Drivers will not have the biggest adjustment. Planners, shippers, receivers will be forced to adapt because drivers will no longer cover for them. After discussing it with some drivers, companies, planners, LEO's I keep hearing one theme.

"Scheduling is gonna get harder".

Well driver's tend to be told what the schedule is not set it, and then determine if they can accommodate it. When drivers can no longer meet unrealistic and or illegal schedules, thereby risking their career and wallet, planning will change.

Now that may require more teams, an adjustment of JIT loads, possibly a paradigm shift in OTR to a more relay regional set up. Either way it will take awya the risk incurred by drivers for covering others actions.

 

Just as an example......not too long ago, an Air Ambulance with a critical patient was forced to take a holding pattern, then land without radio contact with the tower, because the ATC was asleep.

And, from what I have seen, the Obama administration and the Unions are really pushing the new HOS hard. *Eric Cartman voice* "Democrats piss me off."

 

"Same with my belief of EOBR's. Drivers will not have the biggest adjustment. Planners, shippers, receivers will be forced to adapt because drivers will no longer cover for them. After discussing it with some drivers, companies, planners, LEO's I keep hearing one theme.

"Scheduling is gonna get harder".

Well driver's tend to be told what the schedule is not set it, and then determine if they can accommodate it. When drivers can no longer meet unrealistic and or illegal schedules, thereby risking their career and wallet, planning will change."

I agree and disagree - the variable here that many people don't realize.... is that if it takes 3 drivers in 3 trucks to cover a load that one driver used to cover (because of Elogs)... a company will just have 3 drivers and trucks touch the load - it's that simple. Imagine what that does to drivers... especially folks like CRE lease drivers... the company doesn't risk a thing, doesn't expend any more money, and still meets the load time requirements just like they did 3 years ago.

The only thing changes is that your miles get cut in half. I witnessed that personally last year with Total. They were all locked up with Fedex and other time-sensitive LTL freight.. and since Fedex isn't changing or slowing down the shipments, we just played tag/relay with loads. Lost my dedicated Memphis-Schertz (San Antonio) Fedex run...every other day, Fedex Schertz is 3 miles from my house... bummer.

 

hmm, Penn State did the study? That might explain why some busybody called my saftey department about my driving when I went though State College last week.

Sheesh,,, you blow past ONE state trooper doing 90 and,,,,