The Source for Trucking News, Opinions and Trucking Jobs | Another Study Gone Awry

Another boring meaningless study perpetrated  on the ignorant to push an agenda.

Studies clash on safety impact of hours rule
By Max Heine

A study released today by an insurance trade group says the new hours-of-service rule has resulted in truckers driving more and being slightly more fatigued than under the old rule.

However, a new report from the American Trucking Associations shows that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study is “bogus, as usual,” said ATA spokesman Mike Russell.

Just come out and say what you mean Mike, don’t hold back. I wouldn’t trust any study done by ATA either. They are for the industry’s productivity, not the driver’s welfare.

While the drivers responding to the IIHS study said their sleep time had increased under the new rule, they reported slightly more instances than when the old rule was in effect of driving drowsy or falling asleep at the wheel. When drivers were asked about dozing at the wheel at least once in the past month, the reported percentage increased from 13 percent in 2003 to 15 percent in 2004.

Help me out with this one. Their sleep time has increased, but they’re more tired? And not just tired, but "drowsy".

But look what we have here, a study done about truckers and sleep (that I’ve mentioned before here) that says 28% of commercial drivers have a sleep disorder.  No matter how much sleep time they get, maybe they are not getting the restorative rest they need.

Sleep: At The Wheel With Sleep Apnea!.

Investigators found that "persons with untreated sleep apnea perform as poorly on simulated steering and psychomotor reaction time tests as legally intoxicated individuals."  They also noted that the prevalence of obstructed sleep apnea in drivers is estimated at 3%, or 4.7 million drivers. A recent study of 1,391 commercial truck drivers found that 28% had obstructive sleep apnea, with more than one-third characterized as moderate to severe.

A third (moderate to severe) of 28% is about 9% which almost matches the above number of drowsy drivers on the other study. Those drivers are going to be tired no matter how much sleeper time they get. How about doing something for THEM without messing with the rest of us! Like maybe this! Back to the original article.

"The new rule was supposed to improve safety, but our survey
shows the opposite,” says Anne McCartt, IIHS vice president for
research. “Truckers are using the restart provision to squeeze even
more driving hours into the week."

A work week restart provision of the current rule, requiring 34
hours off, increases allowable driving hours in a seven-day period from
60 to 77. The rule lengthens the mandatory rest period by two hours but
lets drivers stay on the road an extra hour every day.

Is that 34 hour restart great or what?! Granted I drive and work more, but I sleep more too.  If I’m away from home, I want to work, not have to sit around a truck stop.

A quarter of drivers who were surveyed by IIHS said they drive
more than the new daily limit of 11 hours. Eight of 10 drivers said
they’re taking advantage of the restart provision that allows them to
drive 25 percent more in a week.

I bet those same drivers drove more than the 10 hours on the old rules. It’s not really the drivers fault. In theory and what the goverment wants you to do is stop driving after 11 hours, period. Companies (most if not all) tell drivers they are allowed a certain average mph. If I’m stuck in rush hour or bad weather or even driving on back roads, I still drive on my log that same average. Such as: On the interstate where the speed limit may be 65 mph, I’m allowed to drive 627 miles (57mph * 11 hours). If part of that 627 miles is during rush hour you’re not going to be able to average 57.  But my logbook would still show 627 miles in 11 hours. In reality I drive until the job is done for the day. It may take a little longer than 11 hours.

Honestly, I used to do that, but not so much anymore. Very seldom do we have to drive a full 11 hours or more a day to get where I’m going on time. Since most of our deliveries require coordination with crews, labor or regular business hours, getting there early doesn’t neccassarily give me an advantage.  But that is the way it is for the majority of drivers and companies encourage this practice.

The ATA study, based on government accident records and data from
70 carriers operating under the new rule, was presented March 10 to the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as comment on the possible
revision of the hours rule. ATA asks that the rule receive no major
changes.

Among ATA’s findings:

• While total DOT recordable accidents and preventable DOT
  recordable accidents remained relatively consistent, there were
  decreases between 2003 and 2004 in total injuries and injuries related
  to DOT recordable accidents.
• The 34-hour recovery and restart help to avoid the shifting of
  daytime to nighttime schedules, which can affect the circadian rhythm
  and decrease alertness.

I have no idea how that’s supposed to fix anything besides letting me work more. Besides why should what I did last week have anything to do with what I’m doing today.

• By increasing the daily off-duty requirement to 10 continuous
  hours, the new rules greatly reduced the possibility of chronic sleep
  deprivation and the development of a sleep debt during a driver’s
  workweek.
• With minor modifications to accommodate better use of sleeper
  berths and the promotion of naps, the rule should continue to prove
  highly useful in assuring the overall safety of the nation’s highways.

That’s cute! Everyone get your blanky, it’s nappy time! I don’t care how many hours we are supposed to log as ’sleeping’, if someone doesn’t want to sleep, they’re not going to. They have to keep a "split-sleeper berth" option available to keep teams productive.

Enforcement of work hours has long been a problem because written
log books are easily falsified, said IIHS. Its survey shows about a
third of drivers say they at least occasionally omit work hours from
their logs.

"Without electronic recorders the rule can’t be enforced effectively," McCartt said.

Russell said FMCSA compliance data shows that only about 8 percent of drivers cheat on their logs.

The agenda raises it’s ugly head. Okay, I put in the boldness, but it jumped out at me like that from the original article.  I’m really, really sick and freakin’ tired of people thinking that some electronic recorder black box thing is going to fix everything.  The problem is not driving time. The problem is work time.  Uncompensated, unfair, unnecessary, undocumented, unlogged work and wait time. How is a black box going to know the difference between four hours in the sleeper berth and four hours loading or unloading??? Even if it could, how’s it going to know if I’m sleeping or waiting and having to listen to the CB for my dock number and unable to sleep?

What about people that need more than eight hours? What about them? Drivers with a sleep disorder can "sleep" for 12 hours a day and still be tired enough to doze at the wheel. Believe me I know. 

The solution? I don’t know. I have a few ideas. I like the new hours the way they are. Black boxes aren’t going to fix the problems people think they are going to fix. Enforcing companies to comply is a start. Now the companies blame the driver or owner operator for any log violations, accidents or anything else. When the driver is only trying to comply with the companies orders.

Originally posted 2005-03-14 01:31:00.