Hours of Service to Change Again?
Filed under: Uncategorized, otr trucking
After a long, hard battle advocates finally accomplished their goal in having the hours of service for truck drivers changed to the current 14/10 rule with the 34-hour restart thrown in for support. Remember all the news this was making back then? It was going to be so much better for the general public safety and concerns.
Entering into effect on October 1st, 2005, the trucking industry began operating under the new rules, which to this day, many drivers still do not agree with. And now . . . change may be coming again. Last July, the court ruled to vacate the current rule and change it BACK to the way it was before! The ruling will not become effective until September 12, 2008. Some parties such as ATA, et al are or will be asking for a stay of the current ruling.
If the court does not grant a stay, then on September 12, drivers will be going back to the 10-hour driving rule, and will no longer use the 34-hour restart rule. Rules that will be staying in place are the 14-hour on-duty time, the 10 hours off duty, the 2/8 hours split sleeper berth time and the 60/70 rule.
So for now, the trucking industry will have to wait and see. Are we in for another hours of service rule change? It is highly possible. I stand behind the old adage as I did in 2005 . . . “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
About the Author:
Aubrey Allen Smith is a veteran trucker and author of the first and original Truth About Trucking. An expert in transportation, his book has helped thousands of new, inexperienced drivers understand the scams of the trucking industry. Please visit http://www.truthabouttrucking.com today, to learn more.
January 21st, 2008 at 5:09 am
I have never seen so much pro bono labor in my life as when i went into the trucking industry and spend a substantial amount of my time doing trip logs and trip planning. It is pretty discusting. OTR spent on the job is far below minimum wage. It is criminal. Not too many companies have much respect for a man’s labor.
Pat Croft
January 21st, 2008 at 1:46 pm
It is the opinion of this driver that, on its face, the proposed change is a good one. Not only will it prevent carriers from using overwork as their main competitive edge, but it also goes a short way toward removing truck drivers from their rolling sweat shops and allowing them to enjoy a little of the fruits of their labor.
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) argues that truckers’ livelihoods will be hurt by these changes because the regulation would limit their maximum hours. This is true, but only because truckers (at present) must work the maximum amount of hours (and then some) in order to maintain their position in the lower middle class. If the proposed HOS change is coupled with pay by-the-hour for all work performed and full protection under the FLSA, drivers would see their paychecks increase and their working conditions greatly improve, and the American public would find the highways a much safer place.
January 21st, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Thanks Guy.
The phrase you mentioned , “coupled with pay by-the-hour”, is the key to what would make this work for drivers. This would improve their quality of life dramatically……….but will that happen?
March 10th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
I laugh every time this subject comes up. It really upsets me that this is an issue they wont let go. The human body requires between 6-8 hours of undisturbed sleep to regenerate, thats it, thats all, we can’t change human biology. When you take this sleep depends on the individual.
Know lets be professionals and know when to pull over, go to bed and tell dispatch to quit whining or have someone come drive the truck while you get your needed rest. Thats it, thats all, end of story.
If the D.O.T. was serious about this issue, they would open every scale between 10pm and 4am and monitor log books. They won’t because it would cripple the industry and create an economic upset. Besides, their parking lots aren’t big enough to hold all the O.O.S. drivers.
Talking about the seriousness of the D.O.T. I was pulled in on the 695 in Baltimore one time and my log book was not up to date. He asked me to verbally recap my last 12 hours. I told him indirectly, if he did his math, that I only had 6 hours bunk time. No fine, just update my book. He didn’t even inspect it after I updated it. Go figure.
For 10 years I have been driving the same schedule. I get up at 6-7 am and do what I can by midnight, then shut down for six hours. If dispatch has a problem with that then call someone who cares.
I am sorry but seeing good money go to useless issues really peeves me. It would be better spent on driver training programs because no matter what they do with the H.O.S. we are still going to drive the same right.
If they really want to get serious, make it mandatory every truck in America have on board logs with auto shut-down. Imagine what that would do to the economy.
March 27th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
…..the correct date of effect is Sept. 14th, 2008