Truckers are thier own worst enemy

He is implying he must "drive tired" because of the regulations similar to your example.

Why not pull over and take your break then complete your load?Equally safe, but legal.



There are two sides.

Legal and illegal. I run legal period. If you choose to run illegally be prepared to accept the consequences of your actions when caught.

 

Perhaps you missed the part about an 0800 appointment.
Maybe he feels an obligation to be on time. Or he knows if he is late the reciever may reschedule for a much later time.
The load planner had the best intentions when he set up the load. It could have been done legally had the driver not gotten sleepy.
We can't turn our bodies on and off to suit the rigid parameters of the HOS.
There are no good options here.
He can sleep, which he needs to do, which will result in one of the following:
A) Being legal and being late
B) Delivering on time and breaking the law
Or he can push it. Not safe but completely legal.

 

I missed nothing.2000-0600 is a 10 hour break then use the time between 0615 and 0800 to complete the last 80 miles of your trip thereby delivering the load safely,on time and legally.

But nahh that would require adapting your plan to fit the circumstances and thinking ahead.

 

Ok, I miscalculated by an hour in my imaginary scenario, but you aware of the point I was trying to make.
And thinking ahead and predicting the future are two entirely different things.

 

In my opinion, HOS turns GOOD DRIVERS into felons, GOOD DRIVER know when they need to sleep. But because we have SOME BAD DRIVERS that wouldn't follow HOS or their own body we all get messed with. I know when i need to stop and get sleep. The only HOS i dealt with where the 2004 and newer, but i miss the legit split break of 5 and 5.

As to the OP, I agree that we have brought a lot of this on ourselves for not policing our own, now i ant the neatest person out there, i did try to keep my truck clean on the inside, and got it washed when the company would let me. When i was flatbed i would try to get a shower after a unload/load, but always keep babywipes to clean up when i wasn't able to shower.

 

now it's amazing to me how many attorneys drive trucks and how many truck driving schools teach law and why i can never find one but you can sure find one that thinks he is and most of the ones you find that think they are graduated from a truck driving school, wonder why is that ummmm.

most of us drive a truck for several reasons, for the freedom , the independence and once in awhile we even make a few bucks but ill admit not to often, wonder why that is well the answer to that is simple THE GOVERMENT BOTHE FEDERAL AND STATE but most of you guys just run up and down the highway making excuises for them while ignoring the truth.

how can a politician that has never drove a truck, dosent know anything about a truck most cant even spell truck tell you how to operate a truck just answer me that in simple language where i can understand it because im one of the ones that really drives a truck i cant understand anything to complacated. im not a politician.

the log book? well that has been argued over, debated over argued over sinch the 30's and there hasent anything changed it's still the same tied debate, wonder why they call it a funny book?
now i dont know i cant say about all of you but my momma taught me at an early age when you get tired go to bed its called common sense and i dont need a cop telling me it's time .and most of the cops that enforce the law have never drove a truck either , makes sense to me , NOT.

it also amazes me how many of you experts out there enjoy being told what to do by complete strangers if it was your mommy well maybe i could understand a little better but strangers are bossing you around, never could underestand that your supposed to be a grown man not a titty baby but come to think about it most that act like that come from a #### truck driving school, huh maybe they have a new way of teaching how to control 80.000 lbs. it's amazing to me , just cant get over it , but gosh are they smart.

even most DOT OFC'S dont have a clue, but it's on paper so they can give you a ticket for whatever now imagine that.

moat of the drivers out there today look like a #### wherwolf, or they sleep under a bridge, now that is a good thing none have any sense of pride about themselves or there truck but they can all give you an excuse for looking lke that then they ##### because some one turned up there nosed at them, but they work hard, yeah right they wouldnt no work if it hit them between the eyes. hell soap and water is the cheapest thing you can buy, but i guess they didnt teach that in truck driving school. BUT it' always some one else's fault, uh huh.

there is such a thing as personal responsibilty you want respect you got to look an act like respect if you dont look the part you #### sure wont get it but you can ##### about it most of you are good at that if fact experts but it's not your fault after all thats what you were taught in truck driving school, good deal, they just havent figured out how to teach common sense.

the reasaon this industry has become what it is today is the people that are envolved in the business, the driver , you control your own destiney if you dont act and stand up for yourself it's only going to get worse as it has done every year for years and there is no end in sight the hits just keep on comming. WHY ? because they can after all we just know how to whine and moan and cry woe is me.

you want change ? you want to make things better? you want to make the driver better?then MAN UP. do somthing about it , complaining never works why waste your time and make everyone around you miserabel do somthing about it , i can hear it now , what can we do were just a truck driver well stop and think for a change if you do that you will discover several things that can be done , you just have to MAN UP and think and have the will to take some action dont just sit there and complain ost of you can start by taking a #### bath.

but in all honesty i think it makes no difference what i think ill continue to do what i know to be right and stand my ground when i know im wright regardless of what a #### politician says or a cop for that matter im #### sure not afraid of any of them and im #### proud to be what i am JUST A TRUCK DRIVER and proud of it .

my best to all.----southernpride

 

Its funny how everything that is wrong with the trucking industry gets blamed on NEW drivers. People may not want to hear this but you have made your own bed...now lay in it.

Oh....and I have been seeing fat,dirty,slobby truck drivers who look like they have slept in there clothes for a week... for years. That is not a NEW stereotype...you earned it. Oh and the jugs of piss on the side of the road have been there for years too..... Guess some NEW drivers went back in time and dumped them all over the US LOL

 

That's funny, cooper!

I think that attacking folks with a sarcastic bunch of drivel (couple of posts up) just makes it look like someone with an elitist attitude trying to show off their knowledge. That's funny, too, but sad.

I get a kick out of the "rumor mongers" and "lawyers" in ANY field, not just trucking. Go to any truckstop, warehouse breakroom, or a breakroom at Wal-Mart, an auto dealer, or a retail store, and you'll find some know-it-all who HEARD something, so it must be the Gospel. I saw this a LOT in the military, too - half the people were whining and crying, the other half were know-it-alls with all the answers, but not a single clue.

They spread this crap around until everyone around is annoyed, confused, worried, and upset.

My advice, with years in the military, several degrees, years as an expert witness (automotive law), and other things, BE VERY CAREFUL who you listen to, and who you take advice from.

If they're no more qualified or experienced than you, why on earth would you (a) waste your time listening to them, (b) take a chance on majorly screwing up because you took their advice, or (c) allow someone you don't even know to influence what you do on a daily basis that affects your income, career, and freedom?

Let the truckstop lawyers and preachers (meaning loudmouths, no religious disrespect intended) spout their crap to someone who'll listen...do your own research and make your own decision, and certainly don't give someone else the horse's reins to control YOUR life and career.

You go out and get a huge ticket or screw up something...what real stake do they have in it? None!

You think the state trooper is going to care that you're screwing up your log book or whatever because some lunkhead back at the truckstop said it was ok?

 

I think it boils down to people being physically able to do this job - and that would include changing your sleep schedule on the fly.

Consider Fire Fighters for example - especially in big cities where they may go 24 hours or more without sleep.

Anyone ever drive a plow truck in the north during a multi-day storm?

What about rotating shift, and swing shift plant work?

If your not capable of performing this demanding job - and where you think you may cause death or injury to yourself or others - it's time for a career change.

No offense, but even unionized jobs require you to "start at the bottom", which will often include swing shifts, and often hard physical labor before getting into the easy driving position.

 

Ok let me fire some of you at me. I know and so do you if you think about it,people who drive until they passed out to make a buck. just like there are some who would run 200 in fully loaded rig if they could. so to say we don't some kind of control is ridiculous. then I keep hearing use common sense have you not read the posts about drivers crapping heir pants or driving off the road into ditches! Common sense is not common! its more hit and miss these days. logs have been here forever eobr's are coming and we might as well face it heck even Swift is going to them. so suck it up be a man tell the people in charge you can't make the load on time to reschedule or hand it to another schmuck that will run illegal. there's more freight out there.