Why 10, why not 5 or 3 hours?

First off, you are dealing with the Government so trying to figure it out is a waste of time. However, you have to understand that Government types try to adapt rules from other agencies. The 11 hour rule comes from railroaders 500 mile run and from normal breaks by the department of Labor. Average speed being 50 miles an hour plus two 15 minute breaks and 1 half hour lunch break is 11 hours and going 500 miles. That is where the rule came from. The 70 hour rule came from 8.5 hours a day without a day off. The 14 hour rule came from 24 hours minus the time it takes to drive 500 miles leaves 14 hours. It has nothing to do with sleep or any other studies. It has to do with tradition.

Now you ask where does the 500 mile rule come from. That is the distance between Chicago and Kansas City. They were the two largest rail hubs and the rule evolved from that.

What will cause a change in Hours of Service Rules will be when someone figures out that the HOS rules are anti old folks like me. I prefer to drive until I get tired and then sleep until I am refreshed. That of course will never do as it puts personal responsibility above the rule of law. And no one in this country without the last name of Clinton is above the rule of law.

 

This ain't Nascar. This is the public roads and streets, which is full of innocent people, and lined with houses full of kids. You wan't to prove what a supertrucker you are, buy yourself a track, insure it, and run your truck on your new "special" hours of service. Hell, sell tickets to it and see who attends. Who will attend? No one! No one cares!

The hours of service are just like any other limits imposed on the industry. How great would it be to get rid of the speed limits? How about forget about the weight laws to? Oversize, what stinking oversize. We don't need any length, width, or hight laws. The true supertrucker can haul any load anywhere; It has been proven over and over, a true supertrucker can instinctively feel wether his load can make it under that next overpass.

About 1% of the population can function with 4 hours of sleep or less. About 5% can function with 6 hours. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/genetic-mutation-sleep-less/ We don't make rules based on the extreme exceptional people. We make rules that work best for the masses.

 

No need for any study just look a how driving sleepy is just as bad or worse than drunk driving.

 

This just isn't true my friend. Some people need less for restorative sleep (Some stay in REM for longer) some need more. There isn't a catch all amount of hours you should sleep a day.

As far as the HOS are concerned, do whatever you want until you get caught. Then you can try to explain yourself to Johnny Law, he's a nice dude. Personally, I take 6 hours of rack when I can get it, which isn't often. I have insomnia, and DSPD lol.

 

That would indicate sleep medicine right?

 

who is this johnny law?

 

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-l...w-many-hours-of-sleep-are-enough/faq-20057898

 

You are deceiving yourself if you think the regs are for safety. If it were about safety, they would raise the standards, NOT dumb them down.

If you do not know when to say when, you are not safe to drive, PERIOD. Loading a truck full of cattleprods and tattletales is not for safer drivers, it's so that people who should not be driving to be able to drive.

If it's about safety, why do they allow people to come and drive on a 6month to 1 yr visa, wreck, tear stuff up and go back to their homeland and the destruction they cause is of no consequence.

If it's about safety, why are there "trainers" with 6 month experience? Tell me about the kids and the family. Argue all you want about the safety of the general public, it's simply not true. The HOS has absolutely nothing to do with public safety. It's just a way to allow people who should not be driving to qualify. Remember that the next time you see a fatal automobile accident.

 

Did you read that before you quoted it? And I should be on sleep medications, but I am not. I am on mild sleep therapy, mostly melatonin (Doesn't help). I was ok'd by my doctor to drive though.

 

read that little bit about it