I understand that there are many truckers that do this because they're trying to make as much money as they can, but talking with truckers I know, I've heard a few times about companies and dispatchers using threats of job termination or other tactics to forcing drivers to violate HOS regulations and run illegal loads.
Some truckers I've talked with say it's common industry practice and every company they've worked for made threats and put pressure on them to drive insanely long hours and go weeks at a time without getting proper rest. While others I've talked to said their company would let them falsify their logs (and maybe reward them with bonus checks, better loads, ect) but didn't put much pressure on them to do it. The latter situation is the one that I always thought was the norm.
I'm getting very different answers from those I've talked to in person and would just like to hear more input on the issue before I enroll in trucking school. Is this really so widespread and severe? I've heard stories from people saying they've drove 24 hours straight without resting just to take a 2 hour nap, eat and do another 20 hours sleep deprived behind the wheel. I have a hard time believing it can be that bad, and think that these stories are probably tall tales. What are your guys personal experiences with this? Have any of you actually lost a job just for refusing to take a load that would be impossible to deliver by the deadline without falsifying logs? What companies (especially ones that hire new graduates) are known to engage in this activity, and which ones prefer to put safety first?
Some truckers I've talked with say it's common industry practice and every company they've worked for made threats and put pressure on them to drive insanely long hours and go weeks at a time without getting proper rest. While others I've talked to said their company would let them falsify their logs (and maybe reward them with bonus checks, better loads, ect) but didn't put much pressure on them to do it. The latter situation is the one that I always thought was the norm.
I'm getting very different answers from those I've talked to in person and would just like to hear more input on the issue before I enroll in trucking school. Is this really so widespread and severe? I've heard stories from people saying they've drove 24 hours straight without resting just to take a 2 hour nap, eat and do another 20 hours sleep deprived behind the wheel. I have a hard time believing it can be that bad, and think that these stories are probably tall tales. What are your guys personal experiences with this? Have any of you actually lost a job just for refusing to take a load that would be impossible to deliver by the deadline without falsifying logs? What companies (especially ones that hire new graduates) are known to engage in this activity, and which ones prefer to put safety first?