New HOS

I agree 100%. I've been saying that drivers need the ability to stop the 14-hour clock ever since I saw (in driving school) how the potential for problems existed with the current setup. The addition of that one little rule would make trip planning easier, slow drivers down (in a lot of cases but not all) and even cut down tremendously on the need for a lot of logbook "fudging". Pretty darned obvious that the HOS rules were never written by people who have actually had to live by them...

 

The problem I see with stopping the 14 is confusion. I see drivers now that can't figure out the current HOS. If you allow for the 14 hours to be stopped for periods of time it's going to get more confusing, not less confusing. The system needs to be reworked. The simpler it can be made the better, increased understanding, reasonable hours for operating, and a fair wage for downtime at customers need to be taken into account.

 

There is much confusion out here on the 14 hour rule as it is now. Most out of service violations around here are because of the 14 hour rule, or the lack of understanding of it.

The proposed changes are anything but simplifying! A potential nightmare for you and I both.

Amen, brother!

 

The "Record" is pretty dismal. War on Poverty resulted in more poor than ever. The War on drugs resulted in more addicts than ever. The War on Smoking resulted in more teens smoking than ever. ATF thinks it is a good idea to send guns (over 2,000) go into the hands of Mexican criminal gangs. Your FICA deduction goes into the General Fund to be spent and now the fund is broke (Doh!).

I'm not sure, but, is a pattern starting to emerge here?

It seems like the "experts" are pretty good at getting results. Unfortunately, the wrong results. Will the proposed changes make it safer or make your logbook even more like a Rubik's Cube? I'm thinking the later.

 

Touche...

Too bad those few drivers give the rest of us a bad public image.

 

If you really want to confuse rookies when it comes to the 14 hour clock; introduce the 8-2 split.

The intentions behind the creation of the 14 hour clock was to couple it with a 10 hr break to create a 24 hr day. I take it the FMCSA didn't take in being held up at a shipper until the clock expired and then needing to move the truck.

 

It confuses the experienced drivers that we hire.

 

Man, if EOBR's are mandated, that will probably upset that run dead in its tracks. Somebody will have to figure out another way to do it. There is no realistic way, on EOBR, that you will be able to do 700 miles in an 11 hr shift, if you are going thru small towns and other slow downs and stops along the way. You would have to average almost 64 mph each hour for the entire 11 hrs the clock is running. That is just not possible when under EOBR with a run as you describe. That is, unless you can find a way to go from 0 to 64 in less than a minute in a loaded truck. Depending on the number of stops and slow downs, I would think you would have to do 80 to 90 mph when you finally get moving to be able to make up for the clock ticking on slow downs, stops, and do 700 miles in 11 hrs.

Oh the joys of trucking with the FMCSA looking out for us.

 

There is no way to make that run on a paper log without creating a false document. Some of these problems lie with how the rules are laid out, other have to do with the demands of the shippers and consignees.

 

That is really sad. When the current HOS came into play, I started using the 8 and 2 split right out of the gate. Wasn't much different that doing the splits under the old rules, except the added detail of the 14 clock. I used this split just yesterday. And with when I am dropping in the morn and the time I need to head to the second stop off, I will use an 8 hr sleeper tonight, and then run to the 2nd stop and take the 2 hr there. No big deal. I have 30 min left on driving time with the clock stopped and not out of my 14. 8 hrs in the sleeper, quick 10 minute unload and then a short jog over to the second stop about 10 miles away. Quick unload and then a 2 hr off duty to start the driving hours back up. And all using an EOBR.

Piece of cake.