Electronic tracking has been required on semi-trucks for 5 years. Fatalities haven't decreased.

kemosabi49 · Feb 7, 2023

gentleroger said: ↑

How many trucks using the exemption? And were those trucks constantly using the exemption or switching back to the HOS after the exempt load?

In short, what was the crash rate per million miles of drivers using the exemption? How does that compare to the crash rate per million miles of drivers following the HOS?

"It is unclear how many hours either driver had been on the road or what affect, if any, the emergency declaration had on the crashes."

"FMCSA learned about the crashes through state partners or through self-reporting from the carriers."

Those two quotes lead me to conclude that there is no real data on who was using the exemption, and in what way they were using it.

From a quick persual of fmcsa reports (for some reason 2021 isn't final yet?) it looks like crashes per million miles for 2021 are on par with 2019, and total dot reportable accidents are below 2000 levels despite a 15% increase in miles run.

You can blame elds, but elds just enforce the HOS, so you need to blame the HOS, and you can blame the HOS, but when you start breaking down accidents, particularly fatal accidents, by million miles traveled they're still lower than they were in the 1990s.

If you want to place the blame on the recnt rise in accidents where it needs to be you need to look at cdl instruction and testing.

There is no reason why any one with a cdl should not be able to pass our 1st week of training. Outside of some company specific things like coupling order and introducing button hooks, it's cdl school light. Yet we get guys who don't known the difference between an alternator and an air dryer, let alone understand how to properly set their mirrors.

Our training program isn't hard, and our standards aren't that high. Yet I would argue we have one of the best new driver training programs in the industry. That is where the problem lies.
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I agree with you that there needs to be better training nationwide. The FMCSA and their industry representatives spent years to come up with the new training requirements. But you can see where the money is at, because even though several of the representatives pushed for a minimum amount of actual behind the wheel training, the ATA and Truckload Carriers groups adamantly opposed it.
As far as the ELDs, I haven't had many issues with it, since they let us cheat with the split sleeper deal anyway. And since I only do out and back loads.

gentleroger · Feb 7, 2023

kemosabi49 said: ↑

I agree with you that there needs to be better training nationwide. The FMCSA and their industry representatives spent years to come up with the new training requirements. But you can see where the money is at, because even though several of the representatives pushed for a minimum amount of actual behind the wheel training, the ATA and Truckload Carriers groups adamantly opposed it.
As far as the ELDs, I haven't had many issues with it, since they let us cheat with the split sleeper deal anyway. And since I only do out and back loads.
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I just get cranky when folks blame the eld for accidents when it has nothing to do with it.

MSWS · Feb 7, 2023

gentleroger said: ↑

I just get cranky when folks blame the eld for accidents when it has nothing to do with it.
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Same here. Blaming ELD for accidents would be like building a wall on the southern border and then blaming illegal immigration on the wall if it didn't stop it.

When people complain about ELD, what they're really mad at is HOS, which I get. I'm not saying HOS should be eliminated, but there are legitimate complaints to be had with it. All ELD does is make it harder to get around HOS.

Graham Cracker · Feb 7, 2023

ELDs were never about safety.

They are about one thing only.

Control !!!

SteveScott · Feb 7, 2023

mustang190 said: ↑

Most commercial airline pilots are unionized but the majority of pilots are not. Meaning business jets, air charters etc. and air cargo.
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Not sure where you're getting your information from, but just the opposite is true. The major cargo carriers like DHL, FedEx and UPS are all unionized, and corporate jet pilots generally work for leasing companies which are also unionized.

Long FLD · Feb 7, 2023

kemosabi49 said: ↑

From Landline Magazine:
FMCSA reports two crashes under emergency declaration since March 2020
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I would say this is somewhat inaccurate. Cow trucks were still wrecking and they were running under the exemption from the start until it ended a few months ago. My brother went well over two years without even doing a log page. The only reason they’re saying two accidents is because the two drivers were the only ones dumb enough to blame their wreck on being tired.

Deadwood · Feb 7, 2023

SteveScott said: ↑

The increase seems to confirm what truckers have been saying for years: widespread enforcement of ELDs is doing the opposite of what it should, making trucking less safe.
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There’s nothing more disingenuous than what’s done in the name of “safety”. Most of it causes as much danger as it solves.

Texas made red light cameras illegal because cities were abusing them to generate revenue and they actually made intersections less safe because people were flooring it through yellow lights.

SteveScott · Feb 7, 2023

Deadwood said: ↑

There’s nothing more disingenuous than what’s done in the name of “safety”. Most of it causes as much danger as it solves.

Texas made red light cameras illegal because cities were abusing them to generate revenue and they actually made intersections less safe because people were flooring it through yellow lights.
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I bought my daughter a dashcam for her birthday last year that also records speed and has a driver facing and rear window camera. She hated it at first until she got caught in a speed trap a couple months ago. She swore she was going the speed limit, and her dashcam proved that she was telling the truth. She downloaded the date stamped video showing her speed onto her cell phone and showed it to the judge, who immediately dismissed the ticket.

25(2)+2 · Feb 7, 2023

To err is human, but it takes a computer to really foul things up. I get in a cold truck and need to take off to do my short runs, phones and tablets don't take cold all that well. I lost some drive time until things warmed up enough for the handheld stuff to work. But the blankety blank thing did catch the yard move enough to flag that. So go figure.

Just added the 28 miles onto the trip that weren't recorded. All the nanny box(idiot box) does for me that I couldn't do on paper is waste more of my tiime. The loaner issue is another. None have one installed for short term use, so it's break out the paper and pen. Again. And cell service is essential for most to work, need to upgrade devices to 4G so more dollars.

Safety, control, but guess what? The important thing is to make money off of regulations. The big companies do save using them, but it costs my company extra, with few longhaul trucks to keep track of. The livehaul people got switched to short runs and they fill out a timecard. Perfectly legal.

FozzyNOK · Feb 8, 2023

Graham Cracker said: ↑

ELDs were never about safety.

They are about one thing only.

Control !!!
Click to expand...

Controlling morons who are killing themselves and others, and driving wages into the toilet by demanding to work for free for companies that enjoy watching hillbillies kill themselves working hundreds of hours for free while they enjoy life! LOL! Control indeed

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Electronic tracking has been required on semi-trucks for 5 years. Fatalities haven't decreased.

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gentleroger Road Train Member

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