Should O/O Welcome Reduced HOS?

iceroadtrucker

Veteran Expediter
Driver
Yh'a, but how many others got killed the last few times...

BTW, according to a new ATA study, Expediters & alikes, gives a real bad reputations to the trucking industry.
sorry.
Mixing Medium- and Heavy-Duty Crash Data Skews Safety Trends, ATRI Study Says | Transport Topics Online | Trucking, Freight Transportation and Logistics News
{please don't shoot the messenger, just keep it up the ATA...}
this is what happen when the ATA sound the voice for Expediters & small business truckers.

Yup too many Companies are putting their fingers into the Expediter Business. Bringing the Freight costs down. Along with increasing that so called Bad Rep. Agreed. Maybe they need to stick to what they orginaly started out to do and leave the Expedited to the Real Expediters Professionals that why were here to do what some one forgot or couldnt. Cant never could. so said the little Expediter Engine that thought he could and did. Have a nice day.
 
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jjoerger

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Army
Huh?? :confused:

So the games is that we all block the pumps for 30 minutes?

What is our purpose?

And what of the guy who pulls in behind you that needs to fuel and go? What should he do?

Sent from my EVO using EO Forums mobile app
 

TeamCaffee

Administrator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
go on line 4.
fuel the truck.
{poll forward} only if you wish to.
go on line one.
do whatever for a 30. may go on line 2 if applicable
go on line 3. {flag S.I}
poll forward & off you go.
anything else is a waist of time or risk management.
they wanna play games?...lets play!
personally, i won't poll into a parking spot. i hope others won't either.


Moose that is horrible idea... I hope I am never behind you at the fuel island. Really that is a HORRIBLE idea for the drivers that pull in behind you. Why would you want all the other drivers to suffer for this 1/2 hour rule?
 

bubblehead

Veteran Expediter
You must fuel on duty. Since you're off the highway, and have broken the rhythm, you may as well pull over and chill out. Going off duty, of course.
I used to read the newspaper daily. At my advanced age it's okay to visit a restroom whenever one is available. Or set your alarm, laydown for twenty, and then visit the facilities.
A walkaround the truck is always good. Sometimes two or three. Focus under the truck from both afar and nearby if possible.
Loading this week, standing on an open dock we noticed insect nests in our top rail. Truck hasn't sat for longer than 16 hrs in any one place for weeks.
I wonder if it's abandoned or they're along for the ride ?
Anyway, a strange issue I need to address.

I fuel on duty unless I am "off-duty driving" then I fuel of duty. Now wondering if that will be a violation.
 

bubblehead

Veteran Expediter
Moose that is horrible idea... I hope I am never behind you at the fuel island. Really that is a HORRIBLE idea for the drivers that pull in behind you. Why would you want all the other drivers to suffer for this 1/2 hour rule?

I think that was moose humor. AKA MS aka moose dung. :rolleyes:
 

moose

Veteran Expediter
I'v been saying the same thing for many months now. fuel islands are a legit parking space for a 30. i speak with truckers almost daily on this issue. you can all do the same. for the most parts the respond is: 'well IF there an easy place to poll right in then yes, we will, but we will not back up a truck into a spot, that simply a waist of time & where accident accrue'.
my assumption of many truckers doing the same is NOT base on what i might or might not do, but of what i THINK most or many truckers WILL do.
'it's insane to back up a truck just to take a 30'. that's the respond i get from veteran truckers.
just yesterday i talked to 2 Californian truckers here @ the pilot, the respond was the same.
i might be wrong about this, but you all better read it straight 'from the mooses mouth' rather then facing this situation once you come back from your cute 4th of July vacation unprepared.
once truckers understand how to 'work' the new rules, they WILL becomes creative with saving time. just like they did for years. that's will lead many to understand that wasting time pulling off of the HWY only for a mandatory 30, actually cost them an hour or so.
the best time to take a 30 is right next to an line 4. this is especially so with E-logs that 'penalize' a driver by the minute.
here's a little trick for your own observation. this week when you poll into a truck stop, scan the lot. pay close attention to trucks that have E-logs. see where they parked!. they will always park at the spot that is quicker to get in. say it ain't so. those are the rigs parked on the off/on ramps. rest areas, side streets, of an un-designated place along the curb of the parking lots. they do so not because they do not know how to back a rig. but because it's quicker.
shippers/receivers will soon have a similar problem, once the trailer is loaded/unloaded, the trucker will simply seat in his sleeper for a 30 before polling out of the dock.
sorry,
but we CAN all be prepared. we simply needs to have a plan how to react.
here are some tips:
be willing to make less fuel stop.
avoid fueling mid day- when truckers are more likely to take a 30.
be prepared for fuel stop to take longer. much longer.
decide before you start your day if you are going to engage a trucker, and if so how, and what will you do in respond.
be prepared to communicate the delay with your carrier.
just one suggestion: do NOT take it on the trucker, they are in the same boat as you are. they have the same new problem now.
what do you have to loose?, be ready for the delay's, if it ain't happen- no biggy, if it dose- you have an exit plan.
i know i have a few. most involved a sarcastic humored look on the new bad situation.{but you already know that!}
this is what EO all about, trying to figure out how to do our work better, and be prepared.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
... once the trailer is loaded/unloaded, the trucker will simply seat in his sleeper for a 30 before polling out of the dock. ...

Sitting at the dock for thirty minutes at the beginning of the day after loading will not work.

From the FMCSA web site:

The final rule requires that if more than 8 consecutive hours on duty have passed since the last off-duty (or sleeper-berth) period of at least half an hour, a driver must take an off-duty or sleeper berth break of at least 30 minutes before driving.

Taking 30 minutes at the beginning your driving day will require a second 30 minute break after you drive for eight consecutive hours.

Moose's point about the time and effort it takes to park a big rig and get it moving again are interesting. It may well be, that to keep the mandated 30 minutes of unproductive time to be actually 30 minutes, big rigs will park on the street, in loading zones, on ramps, and, yes, maybe even at the fuel pumps, so they can get immediately rolling again after their daily "time tax" has been paid.

I have no idea how this will play out but with the effective date coming soon, and every HOS-regulated truck in the country affected, we won't have to wait long to see.
 
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zorry

Veteran Expediter
You'll probably want to figure out what you expect your day to be. If a 12 hr day, take it after the 4 hr mark.
If a 14 hr day take it between 6 & 8th hour to limit yourself to only one required per day.
 

TeamCaffee

Administrator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
I'v been saying the same thing for many months now. fuel islands are a legit parking space for a 30. i speak with truckers almost daily on this issue. you can all do the same. for the most parts the respond is: 'well IF there an easy place to poll right in then yes, we will, but we will not back up a truck into a spot, that simply a waist of time & where accident accrue'.
my assumption of many truckers doing the same is NOT base on what i might or might not do, but of what i THINK most or many truckers WILL do.
'it's insane to back up a truck just to take a 30'. that's the respond i get from veteran truckers.
just yesterday i talked to 2 Californian truckers here @ the pilot, the respond was the same.
i might be wrong about this, but you all better read it straight 'from the mooses mouth' rather then facing this situation once you come back from your cute 4th of July vacation unprepared.
once truckers understand how to 'work' the new rules, they WILL becomes creative with saving time. just like they did for years. that's will lead many to understand that wasting time pulling off of the HWY only for a mandatory 30, actually cost them an hour or so.
the best time to take a 30 is right next to an line 4. this is especially so with E-logs that 'penalize' a driver by the minute.
here's a little trick for your own observation. this week when you poll into a truck stop, scan the lot. pay close attention to trucks that have E-logs. see where they parked!. they will always park at the spot that is quicker to get in. say it ain't so. those are the rigs parked on the off/on ramps. rest areas, side streets, of an un-designated place along the curb of the parking lots. they do so not because they do not know how to back a rig. but because it's quicker.
shippers/receivers will soon have a similar problem, once the trailer is loaded/unloaded, the trucker will simply seat in his sleeper for a 30 before polling out of the dock.
sorry,
but we CAN all be prepared. we simply needs to have a plan how to react.
here are some tips:
be willing to make less fuel stop.
avoid fueling mid day- when truckers are more likely to take a 30.
be prepared for fuel stop to take longer. much longer.
decide before you start your day if you are going to engage a trucker, and if so how, and what will you do in respond.
be prepared to communicate the delay with your carrier.
just one suggestion: do NOT take it on the trucker, they are in the same boat as you are. they have the same new problem now.
what do you have to loose?, be ready for the delay's, if it ain't happen- no biggy, if it dose- you have an exit plan.
i know i have a few. most involved a sarcastic humored look on the new bad situation.{but you already know that!}
this is what EO all about, trying to figure out how to do our work better, and be prepared.

I am still struggling with you taking a break on the fuel island as who are you trying to teach a lesson? Why not stop on a DOT Scale as that is who you are trying to teach a lesson.

The truck stop and your fellow drivers did not create this problem.

I would rather spend my time trying to figure out how to make the 1/2 hour work for us, comply with regulations and not make my fellow driver suffer.
 

aquitted

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Looks like it's time to get the Buck 110 out of retirement it sticks in A sidewall really well so go ahead and hold me up on something goofy like that.
 

davekc

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Fleet Owner
Yep.....I see nothing gained in trying to block the fuel islands. Makes no sense. If you are going to fight a change, that certainly wouldn't be the answer. In my opinion it would only "fuel the fire" of a driver not having the capacity to plan their day out.
Oh...and since I have driven a TT many times before, why would it be insane to back in to a spot? It does take a few minutes but hardly a crisis. That just sounds like laziness. Kinda the same excuse some use when they use yellow bottles and throw them on the ground.
Just maybe......they could use the thirty minute break to park & walk to a trash can.:rolleyes:
 
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beachbum

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Unless you take more then one 34 hour restart a week you will not lose anything.

Unless you never stop for anything lunch, pee break, the 30 rule won't affect you.

Unless you violate the HOS the above wont affect you.

This is JMO and you can take it or leave it. All is good
 

moose

Veteran Expediter
i am not trying to punish anyone, nor to make a point. like everyone else i simply trying to make the best out of a VERY limited opportunity to make hands meet.
in my line of work {none Expedite, no team} more often then not, like many if not most truckers out there, the 14/70 limit my drive time more then the 11.
simple as that.
again, i am parked now @ a pilot. the whole front raw are E-log trucks.{9 of them} those are the ones that will be parked infront of the fuel island.
there are also 4 e-logs truck parked along the entry curb . this is where those drivers will take a 30 starting next month.
you just wait & see.
there are some 200 trucks parking spaces in the back. mostly empty. only a few of those parked here seams to have E-logs.
open your eyes and see for your self. wherever you parked.
i am not your problem, the issue is to be prepared.
and understand how the new HOS will effect your operation.
what will you do?
complain?, ***** around?...Please...
i'f im wrong about this you'd be welcome to say "nothing park like a Moose"!
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
the issue is to be prepared.
and understand how the new HOS will effect your operation.
what will you do?

That is the question of the hour, but answering it is not so easy. With Moose pointing out different ways that different kinds of trucks and drivers will react/adjust to the mandated 30-minute break, I've been thinking about this and come up blank. The only thing we know for sure is that the break will be mandated. How many drivers will even bother to follow the rule is unknown, as are the many ways they may react.

Last night at a fuel stop we were delayed by a big rig that lingered at the fuel island while the driver first got tangled up at the counter with a Comcheck issue and then by his decision to head to the restaurant to place a to-go order. The delay was no big deal to us. We had the time. But, I wondered, how might it be different with the new rule in place? If a truck delays others, will that cascade into decisions by the others to take their 30 minute break then and linger at the island or just before it, not for 30 minutes but by only the extra 10 or 15 minutes needed to complete their 30 minute stop? If a driver has been waiting in line for 20 minutes and reaches the pump then, might it not be wise for him or her to wait 10 more before starting the pump and generating a record of him doing on-duty activity?

It is impossible to know how this will play out at this point but I find it very interesting to think about. We'll know soon enough. The effective date is rapidly approaching.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
There is the new 30 minute break rule and also the new two-night reset rule.

Diane and I did a reset the other day, bringing both of us back to 70 hours available for driving, and that's how we started this week. We were under load over the weekend and delivered Monday morning. The reset took place over the weekend.

But had the new rules been in effect, only one of us would have been able to reset. I would have started this week's work with 70 hours but Diane would have been around 40.

After Monday's delivery, we did a long deadhead to Tuesday morning's pick up. Diane's Monday driving made it impossible for Diane to reset before Tuesday morning. So, under the new rules, at the Tuesday pick up she would have had about 35 hours and I would have had more.

The Tuesday pickup initiates about 48 hours of driving time which is doable because that 48 hours is divided between us. At the delivery, under the new rules, Diane, not being reset would have few left on her log book and I would have had more. But for team runs, we would be precluded from another sweet, cross-country run, not because Diane did not get plenty of rest during the reset, but because the FMCSA says she cannot reset at all unless two nights are involved.

In these circumstances, we could have adapted under the new rules to get Diane a reset. Instead of the relatively relaxed deadhead trip to the Tuesday pickup where we stopped for showers, a haircut and groceries and drove at fuel-saving speeds, I would have worked hard all day long using all of my driving time and driving as fast as the speed limit would allow (say goodbye to the Canada speed limiter).

Doing a reset later in the week to bring her and maybe me back to 70 hours is not an option under the new rules. You only get to do one reset a week.

Methinks team expediting may feel a lot more like prison under the new rules than the open road and scheduling freedom we enjoyed before. It won't take many episodes of two sweet runs a week becoming one sweet run a week to significantly erode a team's revenue and give them reason to leave the business.

Going back to the title of this thread, "Should O/O Welcome Reduced HOS?" Answer: Absolutely yes ... if you like less freedom and reduced income.

Teams: Think back to some of your busy, big-money weeks and the resets that made them possible. In those weeks, would you be able to make the same revenue under the new rules? If so, what changes would have to be made to make it happen?
 
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beachbum

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
You'll probably want to figure out what you expect your day to be. If a 12 hr day, take it after the 4 hr mark.
If a 14 hr day take it between 6 & 8th hour to limit yourself to only one required per day.

Zoory, you can take it at 5.5 hour mark which would take the break to the 6th hour mark and to hit the 14 is 8 hours later at which time you would either do a post trip or go off duty for 8 hours either one would be fine.
 

beachbum

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Did I miss something in your post, you say you reset over the weekend and unless you had to startt the day before 5am you both should have reset. Even if the other driver had to have a couple of hours more to get the reset they could have done that in the bunk as long as they didn't come on duty.

There is the new 30 minute break rule and also the new two-night reset rule.

Diane and I did a reset the other day, bringing both of us back to 70 hours available for driving, and that's how we started this week. We were under load over the weekend and delivered Monday morning. The reset took place over the weekend.

But had the new rules been in effect, only one of us would have been able to reset. I would have started this week's work with 70 hours but Diane would have been around 40.

After Monday's delivery, we did a long deadhead to Tuesday morning's pick up. Diane's Monday driving made it impossible for Diane to reset before Tuesday morning. So, under the new rules, at the Tuesday pick up she would have had about 35 hours and I would have had more.

The Tuesday pickup initiates about 48 hours of driving time which is doable because that 48 hours is divided between us. At the delivery, under the new rules, Diane, not being reset would have few left on her log book and I would have had more. But for team runs, we would be precluded from another sweet, cross-country run, not because Diane did not get plenty of rest during the reset, but because the FMCSA says she cannot reset at all unless two nights are involved.

In these circumstances, we could have adapted under the new rules to get Diane a reset. Instead of the relatively relaxed deadhead trip to the Tuesday pickup where we stopped for showers, a haircut and groceries and drove at fuel-saving speeds, I would have worked hard all day long using all of my driving time and driving as fast as the speed limit would allow (say goodbye to the Canada speed limiter).

Doing a reset later in the week to bring her and maybe me back to 70 hours is not an option under the new rules. You only get to do one reset a week.

Methinks team expediting may feel a lot more like prison under the new rules than the open road and scheduling freedom we enjoyed before. It won't take many episodes of two sweet runs a week becoming one sweet run a week to significantly erode a team's revenue and give them reason to leave the business.

Going back to the title of this thread, "Should O/O Welcome Reduced HOS?" Answer: Absolutely yes ... if you like less freedom and reduced income.

Teams: Think back to some of your busy, big-money weeks and the resets that made them possible. In those weeks, would you be able to make the same revenue under the new rules? If so, what changes would have to be made to make it happen?
 
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