My Congressman's Response To H.R. 3282

H.R. 4348 (112th): MAP-21 is the legislation he refers to passed in 2012.

This is how the vote went:

 

They will always write you back. Might take some time, but they will. And, I highly doubt he wrote that...that's what aides do. However, it's definitely his position on the subject.

 

I wasn't expecting DeFazio to change his position...

 

I get a formed response on the subject,

 

I had witnessed on CSpan two a senate action some years back at midnight when the USA was asleep, I can thank my night owl running on the big road for that habit. Anyhow. The Senate was doing a vote which came down to one person left and that happened to be AR Senator since retired.

He came running out the side door into the Senate straight to his boss in the well and conferred. Then voted no. What he voted no to kill the measure was a chance to have national carry. It's a very small bill but with a powerful national impact that would have been something indeed. And his groveling managed to be told to vote no.

He's a nice man, a family man and I have nothing to say bad about him and I wont. Im opposite him in idealogy. But when someone is in a position to vote for something that Arkansas would have supported in a moment he should have gone that way. But no. He did not listen to the People, he only looked out for himself in front of his boss.

I hate that. But it's politics I think. So in order for him to throw it the way he did, he must have been given something else we don't know about as a bone or something. You know what it is, someone takes care of you, you take care of them... savvy?

 

The Congress approval rating is lower than Trump. I can't stand most politicians, most of them are grimy, narcissistic creatures.

As I already alluded to, they live in a bureaucratic bubble that doesn't even remotely resemble the world I live in.

Going back to DeFazio's letter and his reasoning for not supporting Babin's ELD extension, he believes that any further delay will be detrimental to safety.

He actually believes that?

Having never driven a commercial truck (himself) for a living under the current HOS regs which allow for the use of paper logs, he is convinced that if the ELD mandate doesn't go into effect, people will be injured and die.

 

I still believe that in the end the ELD mandate will have the effect of driving rates up and improving efficiency at shippers and receivers. But then again, I've been wrong many times before.

 

Let's talk about what he Believes to be detrimental to safety.

People are already injured or killed in big truck accidents. Refer to another thread that was started regarding that particular topic. FMCSA refers to the FARA system that contains reported deaths and injury by heavy truck and buses to be about 3800 souls killed in 2015.

I am willing to bet you log violations account for a small percentage of those souls killed by trucks once you exclude big bus wrecks.

In my time I can run say Garden City Kansas to Armarillo and then thence to Bruces in the Valley of Califonia prior to Sacremento. I only need about 16 hours sleep to recover from such a push. With certain OTC stimulants Yakima to Boston straight through is possible.

That does not mean I should.

What is damaging to the industry from my POV, is the appointments being unrealistic against drivers who are caught in a catch 22. be late and fired or be late and safe and still fired. Or run unsafe be on time, get caught then fired. ###### if you do and ###### if you don't. Carefully constructed words from dispatchers put the fear into newbies not yet grown in the industry sufficiently to defend themselves regarding HOS problems. Refer to piles of threads here crying about such conflicts.

There was a time I built a work on the big road working three paper logs. If I had a Elog and a laptop capable of editing such a machine, I would do that too. There are certain work arounds to any computer that presents information in a way we can understand. I could probably find a way to work around the law if I wanted to.

The point is. Ive already committed to being legal under the HOS. I do not need or want a Congress jumping on my bony ### to enforce the HOS. What I would prefer is that the freaking HOS to be reexamined against how Humans are made to live.

For example We are hard wired to go to sleep at night and get up at sunrise in the morning. The period between 1 am and 6 am is the most dangerous time for being awake for most people.

Does that load of potato chips really need to be in dallas through the night? I don't think so.

 

If you are 1 minute late for your appointment at the Safeway DC in Portland, OR you will be docked $500. If you don't make your appointment at the Costco DC in Sumner, WA forget unloading until the appointment can be rescheduled for 2 to 5 days later.

No matter the reason for either of those 2 places I mentioned.

This past winter I got stuck in that ice/snow storm in Oregon for 7 hours on the fwy which was essentially paralyzed. I had a Costco load to Sumner, WA and no way to deliver on time. Broker said show up and they'll probably work you in. LOL. They told me to turn around and get the heck out, rescheduled for 3 days later. Fortunately, the broker arranged for the load to be off-loaded at a warehouse across the street or I would have been screwed.

Btw, I violated the HOS when I got stuck on the freeway for 7 hours. Good thing I wasn't on ELOGS working for someone like SWIFT

I understand now why May Trucking (the first job I had as a driver in 2009) would give you a load for say a thousand miles and the delivery time would be for 3 days later.