The Source for Trucking News, Opinions and Trucking Jobs | New Hours of Service

It’s been almost 3 months since I’ve started driving under the new rules. So far I think I can make some money like this. That 11th hour of driving seems like it takes forever, but being able to take a break in the middle will help that. But the sooner I can get done for the day, the easier finding a parking place will be.

The only problems I can see is the day I load or unload will be the only time when the amount of driving is affected. If I have to load two or three times a day, or have to load one day and unload the next it may be a problem.

Several magazines are saying the new hours will be stressful and confusing and put new pressure on drivers. The pressures should be the other way around. It is our responsiblity as drivers and owners of business’ to put pressure on the shipper and receiver who have taken advantage of drivers by making us sit and wait and stand by a dock and watch the forklift run back and forth. (More on that subject). It is our responsiblity to “educate” shippers and receivers that now, the new rules are much harder to get around and it is their responsiblity to load us on time if they want it to get to the other end on time. If it’s loaded late, it’s going to get there late. But for so many shippers, if they loaded it late, too bad. It was the driver’s problem to make up the time enroute.

A few large trucking companies are going to start charging for detention and / or reward companies that get drivers in and out in a timely manner. Several companies are raising driver and owner operator wages. Some shippers (and recievers) would make drivers schedule appointment times, but all that meant was that the driver had to be there at a certain time. Very rarely did it mean that they would get (un)loaded on time.
OOIDA’s biggest complaint about the new rules is that it does nothing to compensate drivers for dock time. If done right and drivers and companies standup for themselves it will mean less dock time for everyone.

I’ve heard a lot of complaints that some drivers won’t be able to take a break in the middle of the day or at the end of the week they will be stranded waiting for the 34 hour break to be over. The way I understand it, you can take a sleeping berth break in the middle of driving as long as it’s over two hours. And even if you go “off-duty” (which doesn’t stop the 14 hour clock), you still have three hours to do whatever and still drive 11 hours in a 14 hour day. And at the end of the week if you are out of 70 hours, you don’t have to wait 34. You can still wait till midnight when you pick up the hours that roll off from seven days ago. As far as I’ve heard, the 34 hour break is not mandatory. Even if you run out of 70 hours you can still pick up hours as before.

But if you read my other blog about too many drivers, we probably need something to weed out the really stupid drivers anyway.

One of OOIDA’s articles about possible good points in the HOS.

How are you dealing with the new hours? Let me know.