New HOS how is it working for the drivers

[Nanette Montgomery]

How are the new HOS working out so far, I quit driving last year and now brokering , it seems that the new HOS could cause a lot of problems, like with the 34 reset you would loose a lot of time if you start it at the wrong time of day.

[Paul Rochon]

Hi Nanette, I am a former O/O and I now do DOT consulting. The new HOS is not being enforced as there is an appeal being put together. The 34-restart rule wouldn't take effect until July 2013 and the mandatory 30-min break I was told is not really going to be enforced right now.

Please check out my website: www.thecornerllc.com for more information about what we do.

[Nanette Montgomery]

Thanks Paul for that info. I didn't keep up with whats going on since I quit driving last year.

[Nanette Montgomery]

I checked out your website very good way for the small trucking companys to keep track of compliance, I am just getting started as a Truck Broker and I need to Know whats going on with the FMCSA......

[Paul Rochon]

Thanks! Yes, we work close with FMCSA inspectors while helping clients/trucking co. with there new entrant or compliance review audits.

I also have my own authority and run an all owner operator fleet. What type of freight do you broker? Our fleet is all flatbed doing steel coils around mid-west. I am looking to recruit here in Arizona so in the market for new freight sources.

[Nanette Montgomery]

In Florida most freight out of here is Produce, Trees, Sugar, Water, cattle

[Paul Rochon]

Okay..Florida..Tuff state sometimes for freight..

[Alvin Lee Catron]

OK   AS A BROKER AGENT and new at the business, DO NOT SIGN for anyone to send your settlements to your bank account direct BECAUSE they also can take out what they put in over the lifetime you connected to them ie that cost me $35,000.. The BROKER merely changed names and restarted owing over $750,000 to truckers for they hauled the freight. Most of the truckers went BR over that and some were lucky and sold their rigs but a few only hauled one or two loads and were not critically affected for they kept good management of their income or borrowed to keep alive...The broker I am speaking of is located in Houston, Texas with Canandaigua, NY office who went from the authority of one brother to his other... And I have proof of what I am implicating here... Also for the logbook questions, I never changed the way I did my logbook cause if you are not over your 70 hours in 8 days then you legal either way but one benefits ya in one way that the other might not...

 

[Rhett Butler]

The "new" rules are back in court so the "old-new" rules are still in effect. Until the court has a decision made on the 30 min. break and the so-called 34 hour restart reform the current rules remain just as they had before Jan. 2012.

ATA and OOIDA filed suit over the 34 hour rule and the safety groups (imagine that) over the 30 min. break requirement. Seems that everyone except FMCSA is getting on-board with the fact the government can't tell a driver when he/she is tired and must take a break.

[Dave L.]

The new hrs. dont go into effect till July this year or next.  And yes they will cause a lot!!! of problems.  they always seem to like to make a simple thing so down right complicated that is has to be an issue across the board.

The current setting of   11/14/70/34 is just fine.  the only thing i would change is addin 2hrs to the restart to make it a full 36hrs off. (ie 1.5day)   instead of a mandatory 30min break somewhere along the way, it should be seperate 15min breaks. Enough time to get out and stretch and take a pit stop.

I know that keepin the rules to a basic standard wont stay put fer long but come on... Fed DOT dont be making things more difficult in our lives as they already are....

[Rhett Butler]

Ya know Dave, the government is just like a college educated boss. They like to ask for opinions, take notes and let the help vent, but in the end it's their way or no way.

The majority of the drivers out there don't have any issues with the current rules and the biggest complaint from team drivers is the inability to split their break and run a 5/5 schedule (5 on, 5 off). This was all voiced at MATS, Walcott Truckers Jamboree and several trucking events to FMCSA and the NTSB.

Apparently these government groups either took poor notes or misplaced them when deciding how to change the rules again and made up what they though would shut everyone up.

[David Kriest]

Nanette, I use DDL and tried to use the new rules and couldn't make it acceptable, with out a violation on the restart rule. as a local driver it is only going to hurt us by making us work longer hours witch we already do.

[Alvin Lee Catron]

"Hours of service" has always interested me for when you run for an independant owner-operator who can teach you the way that HE or SHE grew up under then you find that you can get more done with less effort and NO LOG BOOK FINES ever and I speak from experience for I am an OLDER DRIVER who after 50+ years retired and now want to assist those who want to drive to drive and those who want only the money they get paid for working in trucking to GET OUT AND LOCATE ANOTHER OCCUPATION for too many get into trucking and are not interested in trucking but only the GLAMOUR and respect which we lost years ago of being a trucker..  Nowdays a trucker is only a target of drug dealers, pimps, broke counties needing more income so falsified tickets are handed out hourly, DOT who inspects our rigs and logs to see if you have a brain inwhich to work with, and then we PAY 6 TAXES just for owing our own trucks and hiring drivers or just owning .. Logbooks are a way inwhich you can work 70 hours a week and run your logbook ANY way you want as long as you do not go over 70 hours per week and now they want this 34 hours downtime and anyone that cannot incorporate that in a log book maybe should not be driving for I have taught so many that if you do not travel in a straight line for 8 days then you can incorporate your 34 hour break and be legal in most all ways and the word is MOST...I miss my trucking and wish I had it back for sitting with NEW drivers in a truckstop and working with them has been so rewarding for most become independants once they learn the OLD WAYS that are tried and trued to the letter..The computers have killed MOST shortcuts in logbooks nowdays though but there are ways to fool the computer as well into thinking you are so PROFESSIONAL...