What Would You Change?

What about when you have to ask which door to back into at a shipper/receiver, and they tell you it must be that one you saw where there's barely enough room to squeeze into, so when you walk back out to do your thing, someone from the warehouse or whatever conincidentally and all of a sudden parked where you now have zero margin for error. Or its another truck, hostler, or some shopper in a parking lot. It's like gaydar but gaydarer, and I wasn't even trying to get involved.

 

Get rid of that stupid 14 hr clock rule....or change it so it isn't a clock

Start limiting frivolous lawsuits by these scumbag "ambulance chasers".

Mandatory pay for all on duty/non drive hours, and pay for all detention time at docks.


And outlaw all split speed limits, establish a 65 -75 mph federal speed limit for all interstates, and severely penalize states (like California) who continue to force a split speed limit with 10mph or greater differential.

 

There should be an apprenticeship system for new drivers, not the "get em rollin as fast as possible",cdl mill type setup in place now. A lot of newer drivers carry the bad habits from cars into big trucks,and have no real training to show them otherwise.
Also,some of the new legislation seems to be coming under the heading of "Lawyer workload reduction", not safety. E-logs are not all they are made out to be,they depend on GPS for coordinates and to determine distances,ect. However,several times companies have contacted our tow operation to find a missing truck that the GPS could not locate,due to obstructed signal,ect.
How do times like this affect logs? Also,companies can "correct" the E logs,(in other words falsify) due to gps or other anomalies,this implies unreliability. That would be a good start

 

I'd like to see the IRS reduced per diem exemption for transportation workers go. In many instances because of idling restrictions or team operations the bunk is not restful at all.

Hubby wants pay to go to an hourly rate for every hour in the truck. Mega carriers frequently make folks sit for days waiting on a load. They couldn't afford it if they changed pay to hourly. I know that is a hot button on here... but that's what he said.

 

Why not have all states and provinces have same axles weights, gross weights, lengths etc.... Heck get rid of axle weights all together and only worry about being under your gross weight your registered for... If you need to worry about axles weight then why not have it all the same across the board and only worry about the manufactures axle weight ratings for the axles they use.. Instead of having all the same axles with a bunch of different limited depending on the state or province.. If the trailer axle from factory says it can handle 10tons let it be loaded with 10tons.. Rather then in one state it's 9ton and another its 8 tons... Like all over Ontario we can be loaded up to 140,00lbs without permits but yet most of the US is limited to 80,000lbs... I can't see roads being built much different from one province/state to another... I think this is just a money grab.. Take Ontario for instance axle weights vary so little between different axle spreads it ridiculous..

Also I couldn't agree more.. EDUCATE the public better US and CANADA... Some people are ignorant and some people just don't realize they have done something wrong.. If people were educated then excuses for the 4wheelers could be less accepted in the courts or just plan trying to cover there own butts... Maybe the general public will look at truckers with more dignity rather then bottom of the barrel pieces of dirt.. If they don't what we deal with day in and day out...

Get rid of the neck strangling HOS for both US and CANADA.. Sure we need something in place to keep employers from running us to the ground... But seriously I don't need someone to tell me when I need to sleep, of that I need breaks so many times a day.. I don't need a babysitter to tell me how long I can work.. I can do this myself.. Anyone not capable of limiting themselves, knowing when it's time to pack it in for the day shouldn't be driving a truck... You should know when your fatigued and need to park.. The idiots who spearhead through the fatigue with a big truck need to be off the road...

That's just a few things... There is a million other things that can be abolished or made better.. But no one will listen.. The politicians and lobbyist will do that they want to do and it will be done.... The voice of truckers are on the furthest back burner...!!!

 

ANOTHER SUGGESTION:
Since there is a 14 hour clock, allow the individual truck driver to drive 11 hours a day, 7 days a week, totaling 77 hours of actual driving a week.

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

 

Hourly pay for every second in the truck, overtime after 40, small per hour pay while not working but away from home(think flight attendants), none of this sleeping in the tractor companies should let you sleep in a hotel or motel every night so you get a good nights rest(plus maybe hit the hotel gym) After a certain amount of time/experience a safe driver should have the power to work/sleep as he chooses, companies forcing drivers to work when tired, or speed to make deadlines should be fined 25000 dollars. Companies should reimburse drivers for their cell phones/bill if required to use a phone for work.

 

Well, my list for changes in the industry would be far too long for here. So, how about a 'fantasy' change for the road in general.. For years I have thought 'I would pay a hefty toll right about now just to avoid city I'm about to go through now..' I dream of a day when all major cities have complete bypass lanes with no entrances, or exits in the city itself. Just keep the local traffic off of there and let us trying to just pass through, get on through the mess. Maybe I've just had enough of driving on the east coast with all this traffic.

 

*Hold shippers / receivers accountable for making drivers sit thru their appointment times, run them out of hours, and then, forbid them to remain on the premises....or........allow an exception of driving hours to allow a driver to find parking within a "Reasonable Time And Distance." Along with establishing MANDATORY MINIMUMS of $$$ paid to the driver, thru the company, to the actual driver, without the company taking a cut.

*Get rid of the 30 minute break. Or allow the drivers to break it into 2 - 15 min breaks.

*It's already been said more than once - Provide more rest areas in the NE.

*Keep the current restart rules in place. The previous rules of of no more than 1 reset within 168 hrs and had to cover 2 time periods of 1 am - 5 am, was a fix to something that wasn't broken, and broke it even further.

*It would be nice if the Secretary of Transportation would actually get out, meet with and talk to ACTUAL drivers through either a round table and sensing section of a viable cross section of drivers, O/O, Company, Dry van, Flat Bed, Heavy Haul, AG, Refrigerated, Dry Bulk, Tanker etc. and not just the owners of mega fleets.

*Make extended parking in the fuel islands a felony.........

*And for Gods sake, get the entire network of DOT Enforcement on the same sheet of music once and for all.

 

Big two would be:

1.) Hold shippers, receivers and brokers accountable for their delays. If company "X" orders 20 trucks for the day, and the broker has 20 trucks show up at 7am and there are only 2 available doors? None of the drivers should have to sit around all day for no pay because of a lack of planing by the above parties. Likewise if a driver is paid by milage but a dock worker is paid hourly (with breaks!) there is no incentive to load that truck any faster.

So that needs to change.

2.) the general public needs to be made more aware that most trucking fatalities are CAUSED BY 4 wheelers. If you have to go to some jails and interview former drivers who are serving time because somebody in front of them was texting, or tried to hit an exit from the left lane, or ran a light into an oncoming truck. And having to live with that guilt and yet not be responsible for it. THAT might get some knucklehead's attention.