Re: Hours-of-service regulations: Teamsters, Public Citizen call for new HOS rules | Fleet Owner

lilless — Wed, 06 May 2009 04:01:18 -0000

Large companies with huge fleets must move freight to keep those fleets generating income . Idependents must move their wheels to generate income , Small fleets and specialized fleets have to find a way to move their loads or products in a way to meet the demand or nature of their loads.
There is a difference of point of view with this topic of safety concerning the HOS rules . Smaller fleets have drivers and managers who see one way , Independents another and Large companies and their managers who see another . Add in the interest groups and unions .....and another point of view.
My brother drove for a large private fleet , until he had enough of their treatment towards new drivers and left . They were constantly telling him that his logged hours were in their computers via the Quaalcomm and that he had available hours when his paper logs said he didn't , they were constantly telling him to use the '2-hour' rule when it could not be used arbitrarily and more just to keep him moving ....the whole time with a company safety department saying not to and that he would face disciplinary action if he did . He didn't and his dispatcher wouldn't give him any loads or just barely enough to keep him poor in the truck .
I drive for a large teamster outfit . The drivers in the teamster outfit want the HOS rules to fit into the 9-5 type work day format so that they can drive within the work day and go home . The teamster company dispatchers want a day that allows the loads to make it to destinations and back without having to pay overtime hours and to keep overall work hours low and manageable with lower costs.
I speak with independent drivers who would run non-stop around the clock , while taking cat-naps along the way or whenever they got tired , until they made their own idea of what was enough money for the week and then head home .

With so many points of view in the pot , it is hard for the regulators to come up with just one system that will satisfy all . The exceptions , like for agriculture haulers within the 100 air mile radius , are exceptions because of outside forces ( we can not regulate mother nature and crops are ready when they are ready and have to go from field to fork within a small window or else food would spoil or costs would skyrocket).

I know a lot of independent haulers who are very safe with driving within their own tolerances for extended periods and they get the job done with no problems , and on the flip-side I know a lot of teamster drivers who only go a few miles and have accidents , as well as many who have driven over 30 years accident free ( I have a poster of their names for the outfit I work for) .

Common sense is NOT common . The government can not create a common sense set of rules ...can't be policed .

This is one industry , yet it is made up of many very different kinds of drivers/loads .
I'm thinking the HOS rules should be compartmentalized into these major categories for the major types of drivers out there , if they really want to 'tighten up' the safety record . A one kind of rule that fits all is just never going to be easy to 'work' in , and has a tougher adjustment period for all concerned.

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Re: Hours-of-service regulations: Teamsters, Public Citizen call for new HOS rules | Fleet Owner