Senators join fight to reform of hours of service

[Mike]

Pressure continues to mount on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to reform the hours-of-service regulation.

The latest support for increasing flexibility within the hours of service regulations came in the form of a letter from 30 U.S. senators. The bipartisan letter, spearheaded by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., calls on FMCSA to improve the regulations and address the issues within HOS for all drivers, in all segments of the industry.

“We write to express our support for greater flexibility within hour-of-service regulations for commercial motor vehicle drivers,” the letter states.

“In recent months, it has become more apparent that HOS rules do not provide the appropriate level of flexibility for the safe operation of commercial motor vehicles.”

Senators join fight to reform of hours of service

 

[Rigjockey]

It sounds great on the surface but we know extending a drivers day will just be subject to abuse of drivers by companies.

If a driver is consistently losing time and money due to the shippers that their company deals with, Then it is time to go company shopping.

Now with ELDs and HOS if the driver is losing time and money with certain customers, So is the trucking company! That may force trucking companies to reconsider who they deal with and for how much and driver compensation for waiting time.

 

[Mike]

Just so we are all crystal clear.

There is no concern regarding safety, there is a concern about too much freight not being moved.

Special interests pushed for this choke collar to be placed on the trucking industry. They go their wish, the wish became law, the law became active, and the wheels came to a screeching freaking halt all over the United States.

Now, they are suddenly worried about the flexibility that we have been complaining about for years.

 

[Rigjockey]

Just so we are all crystal clear.

There is no concern regarding safety, there is a concern about too much freight not being moved.

Special interests pushed for this choke collar to be placed on the trucking industry. They go their wish, the wish became law, the law became active, and the wheels came to a screeching freaking halt all over the United States.

Now, they are suddenly worried about the flexibility that we have been complaining about for years.

Oh we are clear. It has never been about safety.
And the reason why truckers are exempt for employment standards laws is because it will hurt the economy.
Just like the ELDs are having an impact on the flow of goods and the economy.

@Mike you have been the benefactor of the new laws. You are getting paid the way you should be. Do you really want to see that vanish?

 

[Mike]

@Mike you have been the benefactor of the new laws. You are getting paid the way you should be. Do you really want to see that vanish?

I'm getting the same rates right now as I was before the mandate went into effect.

I have said, however, long before the mandate became reality, that HOS needed to be changed. I also said many times here that once the mandate went into effect, we would have no choice but to reform HOS finally.

 

[Rigjockey]

I'm getting the same rates right now as I was before the mandate went into effect.

I have said, however, long before the mandate became reality, that HOS needed to be changed. I also said many times here that once the mandate went into effect, we would have no choice but to reform HOS finally.

Oh, okay. my bad. I was under the impression that since the ELD mandate went into effect and capacity lowered, That freight rates went up.

 

[Mike]

Oh, okay. my bad. I was under the impression that since the ELD mandate went into effect and capacity lowered, That freight rates went up.

The mandate has had an effect, not very much though. Biggest thing has been the huge growth in freight availability. New authority startups are flooding the industry right now, something most truckers were expecting to see the opposite of once the mandate went into effect.

Lots more loads out there, but I'm actually finding it harder to get a load now than it was back in the last quarter of 2017. Friday, almost loads were available in my search radius when in Janesville, WI. Problem is, there were more than 1000 trucks looking for freight, so the brokers had a bit of an advantage.

 

[r3gulator3]

So, haha yeah, no, basically they don’t want the corporations who line their pockets to lose money because their goods can’t move fast enough. So let’s make it a cumulative 14 hour on duty driving day. As long as time is logged off or sb good to go. Haha well then what’s the point of the ELD.

Something is going to give somewhere. And freight rates will continue to grow until the dam bursts. However I don’t think they are going to grow as fast as folks think they will.

What will change things is when law makers require shippers and receivers to actually value the time a truck is at their facility, and stop them from hanging a guy in the loading/unloading bay for 6 hours or more. But they don’t want to regulate commerce, they want to regulate trucking. But don’t those go hand in hand?

I’m rambling sorry. I’ll step down now.

 

[ironpony]

Oh, okay. my bad. I was under the impression that since the ELD mandate went into effect and capacity lowered, That freight rates went up.

That's everyone else's opinion too. Our esteemed forum owner is just trying ta blow smoke, cuz mama might find out 'an head to th' mall.

 

[Mike]

Average Van Rate Holds Steady

As you folks talk trash

There is the link for van rates. Spot market, and contract. You had constant rising, well before the mandate, an immediate spike, then an immediate drop back to the normal climb we have been experiencing for several months.

 

[Electric Chicken]

I dunno Mike you definitely were bragging about how high the rates you were getting from desperate shippers were.

If the honeymoon is over like we predicted, so be it, but you definitely had a honeymoon.

 

[r3gulator3]

I dunno Mike you definitely were bragging about how high the rates you were getting from desperate shippers were.

If the honeymoon is over like we predicted, so be it, but you definitely had a honeymoon.

Desperate shippers will pay to get it loaded. Places I have gone to on a repeated basis and let’s say just to use round numbers I pick up a load in the am that pays 700 to the truck.

Well Jim Tom forgot to schedule load X for the morning I get unloaded in the same city that afternoon. Jim Tom calls TMC and says I need a truck now for load x. I go pick it up and that same run pays 1200.

Pretty sure the trucking industry has always been that way. You can get it right now, but it’s gonna cost ya.

 

[Electric Chicken]

Desperate shippers will pay to get it loaded. Places I have gone to on a repeated basis and let’s say just to use round numbers I pick up a load in the am that pays 700 to the truck.

Well Jim Tom forgot to schedule load X for the morning I get unloaded in the same city that afternoon. Jim Tom calls TMC and says I need a truck now for load x. I go pick it up and that same run pays 1200.

Pretty sure the trucking industry has always been that way. You can get it right now, but it’s gonna cost ya.

Mike's shippers were all desperate one right after another.

Some of us were paying attention.

 

[Mike]

Mike's shippers were all desperate one right after another.

Some of us were paying attention.

yep, at the moment, things went bananas. Cooled off after a few weeks though.

 

[Mike]

Look at the last several months on this graph. Pretty comparable to the rates. Again, ELD had an effect, but freight is big pusher here.

 

[Mike]

Van Load-to-Truck Ratio Rises

And the capacity numbers. We have far more freight moving than at any point compared to 12 months previous. We had a huge spike in capacity that greatly favored trucks, but as you can see, it is adjusting as well.

 

[Sinister]

I don’t want any more “flexibility”.

It just means dragging your day out that much more.

It means shippers and receivers wasting your time that much more.

It can’t and won’t mean anything else.

If the stuff is ready, order the truck and load it.

If the stuff is in the truck and you want it, take it.

Or - PAY.

That’s what was supposed to happen.

Why drivers think removing the 14 hour rule is going to be a benefit I have no idea.

 

[Mike]

Why drivers think removing the 14 hour rule is going to be a benefit I have no idea.

Lots of drivers want more flexibility to get more driving hours. More driving hours, mean more miles in their mind.

I want to be able to legally find a parking place on the rare occasion that I get held up somewhere for whatever reason. I don't want "guidance" in the green book, I want to clearly be able to driver to a real parking place to take my break.

I want an allowance to be made, on occasion, that allows me to drive a couple more hours to get home, on that rare occasion that things went badly and held me up.

Your company will use anything they can to get more work out of you, but I don't want that stopping me from having the flexibility to do some things.

 

[Sinister]

Lots of drivers want more flexibility to get more driving hours. More driving hours, mean more miles in their mind.

I want to be able to legally find a parking place on the rare occasion that I get held up somewhere for whatever reason. I don't want "guidance" in the green book, I want to clearly be able to driver to a real parking place to take my break.

I want an allowance to be made, on occasion, that allows me to drive a couple more hours to get home, on that rare occasion that things went badly and held me up.

Your company will use anything they can to get more work out of you, but I don't want that stopping me from having the flexibility to do some things.

I suppose that makes sense, but it’s almost a huge loophole for abuse.

 

[Mike]

I suppose that makes sense, but it’s almost a huge loophole for abuse.

It's something that would probably need limits. Once a month, once every three weeks, something like that. Once a month would be more than enough for getting home. Probably only had it happen where I was within 2 hours of home and had to shut down for the day a couple times within a year. It's pretty silly that a rule can make you robotic like that.

Best HOS reform is no HOS period, but that will never happen.