What do you feel drivers hours should be? Who should be responsible for monitoring those hours? If you are a driver are you happy with the standards now ? What would you change if you could?
Drivers Hours have never been a problem. The problem is drivers exceeding those hours because of dispatch requirements, and poor income. If drivers made enough money (Company and O/O) there would be no reason to push so hard. If dispatch rules were changed so that a truck arriving legitimately at a destination still had enough time to legally unload freight and make a safe zone (truck stop) to get the required amount of sleep. All too often dispatches are right up against the clock, just to make the appointment leaving the driver exhausted and no sleep while getting unloaded and often reloaded. You can not run a truck as an O/O on .80 cents per mile and expect to make any money. Hell, you can't even keep up with safety requirements if you have a family to support, and forget planning for retirement. Everybody jumps on the hours of service rules because it gives them something to talk about and fine truckers and truck companies for, but hours of service is not the problem, never has been the problem, and for those that say the are the problem and nothing else, I would call those people either Communists, or Socialists with a Government pay check, or Greed Capitalists who understand nothing about wealth building. You can control all the money, but unless there is money within Society to keep Society at a decent living standard, the greedy have gained nothing. It is quite commonly called Circulation; the stuff that makes a Free Enterprise, Free Market, Capitalist Society work. Greed, Graft, and Corruption is the disease that eats away at a Capitalist Society until there is nothing left but revolution to give anyone hope, and that is a dead end street. Raise Rates, Giver Drivers an even break at Freight Availability, and let the industry prosper.
Gentlemen About The Hours Of Service I Have Been On The Road For Over 35 Years I Own My Own Truck I Have Never Had A Chargeable Accident ,But To Tell The Truth I Can Not Run By The Log Book I Tried IT One Time I Could Not Sleep When The Book Said To After I tossed & Tumbled For 8 Hours The Book Said I Had TO Drive I Got Up And Drove About 120 Miles And Went To Sleep At The Wheel And Ran Off The Edge I Woke Since That Time I Run The Way I Feel ,If I Feel Good I Truck If I Don't I Go To Bed Gentle It Has Worked For Over 35 Years I Am 58 Years Old And Still Going Strong A Man Can't Drive By A Book He Has TO Drive The Way His Body Tells Him Thank You For Listening If They Change The Hours Of Service I Will Sell My Truck And Do Something Else Thank You
Yes, I am a driver If i could change any thing I would start with the shippers and the receivers.#1. Shippers would have to wake you more formal by a knock on your door. Not we will call you on your cb. Calling one on the cb means one must stay awake which in turn one can't sleep.#2. Shippers. Can no longer expect a road driver to set and wait longer than two hours. And now we get too Receivers. #1. Receivers. Drivers would not have to be responsible for the hiring of lumpers its not the responsibility of the trucking company. It is the responsibility of the receivers. The unloading of trucks is the soul responsibility of the receiver. #2. Here again the wait ,and calling on cb(see above #2 under shippers)the same will applies.
I as a trucker would like to see 12 on and stay with the 8 off.
I think that ALL Truck driver should STRIKE. Because It cuts ALL TRUCKERS PAY. TIME IS MONEY. I don't think it will improved safety. It will only increase government revenue. My wife delivers mail, She is on Duty about 12hr a day. She is not required to take a 10hr break before driving home. Now think about all those drivers in the 7am traffic that worked the 12hr Night shift, and how many don't make it Home because they were not Alert. STOP PICKING ON THE BEST DRIVER ON THE ROAD. WE CAN'T AFFORD ANOTHER PAY CUT.
