RE: Court's response to OOIDA sleeper berth petiti
"Contrary to OOIDA’s claim, FMCSA did not “fail[] to
consider†this aspect of the problem. In fact, FMCSA
acknowledged comments from trucking companies and others
contending that the burden of changes to the sleeper-berth
exception would fall primarily on team drivers. See 2005 Rule,
70 Fed. Reg. at 50,028-29. But the agency concluded that this
marginal loss of productivity and flexibility was justified by
gains in other areas, and particularly by the reduction in fatigue
and fatigue-related accidents. See id. at 50,031. OOIDA may
disagree with this policy balance, but it does not reflect a failure
to consider relevant factors."
Marginal loss in productivity? Would they dare do the same thing to a factory because 16 hours straight means there's more of a chance for an accident? How about the fact that some of this crap is "straight thru"? How about fatigue from a driver "forced" to drive 8 or 10 hours to get the freight "straight thru"?
Here's part of OOIDA's arguement on the 14 hour rule:
"Under the 2005 Rule, drivers can no longer extend their driving-eligible period by taking off-duty breaks while waiting to load or unload. FMCSA concluded that, as a consequence, the 2005 Rule “prevents shippers, receivers, and companies from abusing the off-duty
hours and forcing drivers to use them as unpaid time.â€
In support of this conclusion, the agency reviewed comments from drivers and industry associations regarding how the limit was working in practice. (It was instituted as part of the 2003 Rule.) FMCSA explained that “[t]he general consensus among drivers was that their workday, on average, is shorter under the new rules. They no longer work 20-hour days due to the 14-hour consecutive requirement.†Id.; see also id. (“The [National Industrial Transportation League] commented
that . . . operations at loading docks have been reconfigured to
decrease dwell time and to expedite loading and unloading in
order to minimize driver on-duty time not devoted to driving."
-If the FMCSA reviewed comments from "drivers and industry associations", who are they? Sorry, but ATA flunkies don't represent the whole trucking industry!!!
-The general consensus was that the workday, on average, was shorter? Yeah... cause now we can't take naps, or stop to eat, ON AVERAGE.
-Who in the ##### is The National Industrial Transportation League? Is that like the farm club for the ATA or something? And when have dock workers, or most companies, ever gived a damm how long trucks sit before they're unloaded?
I'm sorry... but some of us have to work for a living. 10 on 10 off? Ain't gonna happen.
-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!