BREAKING NEWS: Proposed HOS rule leaves open for comment 10- or 11-hour driving time,

Could raise wages for driver retention?

 

As far as I know this has always been the case........nothing new here.

Googled 395.2 just to double check.......first thing to come up was a post from this site in 2007.

 

On-duty not driving has never been inforced. Why do you think the shippers and trucking Companys don't give a dam about stealing your time? Wanna play the log book game? Thats why we call it the JOKE BOOK! The log book has never been nothing more than a "revenue enhancement tool" in the name of "SAFETY"

 

"[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman] unless the driver has been relieved from duty by the motor carrier;" Log 15 min to check in at Shipper/Rec., then go off duty.
Your Carrier probably has some paper that 'relieves' you of this, in your Permit Book. They all 'relieve you from duty', from what I've seen.
i.e. Sit and wait,,,for free,,, unless you get paid for sittin'. Nothing new with this Reg.
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Sitting in the dock won't cut capacity at all, nor will the wages go up. Take a look at what the large carriers are doing right now and you will see a small glimmer of the future--forced teaming. Can you say three to a truck? Sure, I knew ya could. Pretty soon the only down-time you'll see is in a dock or at a fuel island.

These rules are being driven by the mega-carriers and none of your comments will make two ##### of a difference. Why? Because you and I don't have any money.

 

I doubt it. The same hopes were raised in 2004 when the HOS changed.

They don't look at it that way. Shippers and receivers don't care because 1) They may not know that, in general, drivers aren't paid to wait. 2) They don't generally have to pay for detention--a driver's time isn't on the shipper's/receiver's books, so it's not a shipper/receiver problem--and neither is HOS. ICC/OMC/FMCSA/DOT have always said pay and HOS are separate issues.

When I started in 1991, my carrier paid hourly detention--after eight hours; but they didn't charge customers for it. Then they started paying hourly detention after six hours. Then they stopped paying it altogether.
The 2004 HOS had them promising to pay hourly detention after the first hour; that quickly became two hours, even though they started charging their customers after the first hour.

 

That's the thing, with all those fat new fines to impose, and states always searching for more revenue.

Enforcement is sure to follow.

 

Yea, I looked the max fine up again. I was off. It is 2750.
And they will be able to give the max for any log violation they feel is extreme.
Well, if I am a sheriff in a small town and I got DOT qualified. I would be doing nothing but checking truck drivers all day.
It is a massive fine. Same as the one they have for texting and that they are proposing for cell phone use without a hands free device.
Heck that proposed reg says they can give you the ticket if they see you reaching for your phone.
Cops will give that ticket constantly. Every time a driver reaches for anything in the cab.

I am a company driver 2750 is several weeks of my take home pay.
If I got 2 of those in a 6 month period I would start having bill collectors at my house every day. I would have to go into another field again.
Most likely after the first one. I cannot see working 3 weeks for free.

 

The way I read the fine is that it was going to be the fine for any violation under the new proposal.

What I wonder is who will be getting the dollars from the fine. Federal or state.

No doubt it will become the main revenue generated by the DOT.

 

$2750 fine, when I don't even make enough money to pay any income taxes? Heh... they'd better put me in jail and throw away the key.