DOT initiates 4 Major Rule Changes

No, I spent two years with not much for full work day jobs and I felt like a worthless pile of excrement. I would rather work 16 hours a day and be tired at the end of the day then work 8 at be stuck somewhere 700 miles from home with nothing to do. I'm sitting right now in Tulsa with nothing to do because I was 15 minutes too late to reload.

 

bump

 

Why is this so hard to comprehend? Just because you have a 14/16 hour window to work doesn't mean you have to work 14/16 hrs. This is about bringing back "FLEXIBILITY" in that 14/16 hr. window. Now if you work for someone and their going to take advantage of that flexibility I can appreciate your argument but that shouldn't take it away from the other hundreds of thousands of responsible people and companies that will use it for what it was designed for.

 

I can’t work 16 hour days now, I have to take care of these things

 

I do not like change! Change will make you insane. However, I do like the change I find in between couch cushions.

 

I enjoy making money and taking care of my family like the next guy, but at the end of the day, I see no need to run up to 16 hours a day. I've been there, done that for my previous outfit. There was nothing unusual about running up to 18 hours on paper logs trying to make the most money possible, and it's far from fun regardless how much you enjoy driving. Now, not all companies will use this to their advantage and run their drivers into the ground, but we all know, a LOT will. I think @Dave_in_AZ is pretty spot on with his assessment. whether that's popular opinon or not. Where I see it really being a pain in the dick is for local drivers. Here in TX you can be on duty up to 15 hours and most companies around here will absolutely take full advantage. At a certain point, you might as well run regional or sleep at the #### yard because depending on your commute, you might have just enough time to shower, shovel some in your mouth and go to bed. Family time be ######. At my previous job I don't think it would have mattered either way if I came home during the week or not, because I never saw my wife or son. I was gone before they woke, and home after then had gone to sleep.

Ehh, I wouldn't say that's necessarily the case. We all know trucking requires a lot of time, but at the end of the day, as I illustrated above, a man/woman needs some time from behind the wheel. What happens if these "changes" don't net the required result? What's the next move? 18 hours? 20? I'm being fictitious, but it's get's ridiculous at a certain point. I think it'll be more of a pain for local drivers who will practically never seen their house except for a few hours to sleep, basically removing the point of being local. Now if you're getting paid a decent hourly wage, then you could clean up with overtime if you work for a company who will take full advantage of these changes, however money isn't EVERYTHING. Different strokes for different folks, but while I take pride in taking care of my family, I don't have the need or desire to be "on duty" for 16 hours a day to do so, and there are many companies who will make you do just that. You get one go around, then you're dead.

 

You live your life and I’ll live mine. You drive your truck your way and I’ll drive my truck my way. How does that sound?

Sounds like you want to live in a world where production and output is carefully controlled by government. I really don’t want any part of that.

 

Really? In no way did I tell you, in any way shape or form, how to "live your life" or "drive your truck."

"Sounds like you want to live in a world where production and output is carefully controlled by government. I really don’t want any part of that."

Kind of like they are ALREADY doing? Telling us when we can and can't work and for long we can do so? I was speaking in direct regard to COMPANIES abusing the GOVERNMENTS laws. I'm clearly not a fan, and certainly not a fan of the government dictating everything, not sure where you got that impression, but I figured I'd get such a reply when I quoted you.

 

Let's see here:

Person A works 40 hours a week and makes 100k per year.
Person B works 70 hours a week and makes 55k per year.

Who got the better deal? Who is smarter? Who has more freedom to pursue other interest? Who would you think is healthier?
For non-truckers the answer is a no-brainer. For truckers, however, person B is someone to be admired for his ability to drive long hours until his eyes pop out of his head for a measly .35 cents per mile. SMH.