I´ve been lurking for sometime on this issue, because there is so much confusion. Now that the enforcement has started, I hope that the enforcement experiences will be posted here on EO. My personal thoughts are, that the new rules were as well thought out as any bureaucratic major change, and will be refined as they find out where the new rules are lacking. Also, as with any change, you can´t please everybody. The efficient operations will adapt and flourish, the inefficient ones will flounder until they do adapt, or they will go down the tubes. The powers that be, are NOT going to back off on these new rules. There have been some good posts, and good points brought up on the whys and wherefores, and the main one in expediting is, that many seem to think the single driver will suffer. I don´t. If the new rules lead to fewer loads because of mandatory shut downs, when a driver reaches his hours of service limits, I think that the shippers and receivers will have to compensate, if they want to use expediting, and it will make them more efficient in the future if they want to improve thier bottom line. That should improve our(drivers) bottom line too. The business changes will not happen overnight. But, I think it will all shake out in short order. There is opportunity in change, and the better operations will figure out where that opportunity is, and I personally think there will be more expediting freight in the short term, because of mandantory shutdowns in general freight hauling, and it hopefully will continue into the long term. I´m reminded of the air controllers strike several years ago, when controllers thought that thier union PATCO was the "tail that was going to wag the dog". The Secretary of Transportation said they would fire everbody that didn´t comply. So did the then president Reagan. On national TV. I had a friend at the time, a senior controller who didn´t beleive that could happen, and he and his comrades thought chaos would reign supreme at the nations airports, and that would bring the government to it´s knees. Thereby giving in to the unions demands. They all thought PATCO would overcome. PATCO didn´t, and all were fired. I mean ALL..across the nation. Though this is not the same scenario, trucking is a critical industry, and if they say the new rules are so, that will be the order of the day, until further notice. No, ifs, ands , or buts. I , for one, look forward to the change, and am looking for that opportunity I mentioned, for the reasons I mentioned.
