You are a brilliant, brilliant man.

Thanks for the chuckle.

Love the NFL referee analogy! It’s so perfect. The FMCSA people don’t have a clue. Listen, I realize that a governing body like Congress can’t be made up of people that have done every job in the world in order to make decisions about the countries economics. But when it comes to something specialized like the FMCSA, I really don’t see any reason why they can’t get people who have actually done the job. It’s not like there aren’t plenty of us out here.

Next up, your point about the “two periods” of night-time rest not guaranteeing that the driver is going to get enough sleep. I know many times I haven’t. I’m guessing since you brought it up, you haven’t either. And I know it ain’t just you and me.

Lastly, while I think it’s natural to expect the industry to suffer through these kinds of rules changes, I don’t think there’s ever as much fallout as everyone anticipates. Remember when we switched from an 8-hour break to a 10-hour break? Same kind of doom-and-gloom talk, but hardly any noticeable effect. Remember when e-logs started being implemented? Everyone (including me) was crying about the downfall of the trucking industry. Once again, not much change actually happened. Sure, in the beginning I was doing a lot more relays due to the unforgiving e-logs, but things went back to normal before too long.

As bad as I hate to admit it, I really do think the trucking companies are just really good at dealing with these types of changes. They make little tweaks to their systems that correct the idiocy of the FMCSA and the uncaring nature of the shippers and receivers. Honestly, I wish that weren’t the case. I wish they would implement some “brilliant” new idea that would bring the industry to it’s knees. Because quite frankly, that’s about the only way anyone will wake up. The FMCSA might actually admit they’ve had some useless ideas and reconsider some of their decisions. But perhaps even more importantly, the shippers, receivers, and trucking companies might realize that this industry really needs a major overhaul.

Thanks for stopping by and giving me a chance to rant, Dave. Always appreciate experienced drivers like you who share their thoughts on the site.

As long as there are trucks on the road there will be accidents. Drivers will fall asleep in the afternoon even with the ‘two periods of midnight – 5 a.m.’. Who says they’re going to sleep those two days?

The pain that Ferro is going to inflict on the industry is the equivalent of $10/gal diesel. It’s going to slow down markedly. Stuff is going to be late. Supply Chain professionals had better stock up inventory now. (Which may the reason it’s busy right now despite the weak economy). The problem may be averted by a court decision, but I wish they would give the industry the common decency of some sort of stability!

Dave Satterfield
Twitter: fraytmoverdave
freightmoverdave.wordpress.com

1. I have no doubt that you’re right about the sleep science. I don’t personally have a huge problem with sleeping during the day, but I know many people do. Although I’d never lie about the rumble strip shocking me back to life in the middle of the night. That hasn’t happened in a really long time though. Guess I’ve gotten used to knowing when enough is enough. I am fully aware though, that many drivers don’t know where that line is. And yes, it can suck that we have to have such flexible schedules, but unless the FMSCA comes up with some radical new rules, I don’t see those changes happening any time soon. And quite honestly, I hope I’m not around if these changes ever do take place. Talk about a logistics nightmare!

2. Big companies knows how to preplan, they just have a different definition of “preplan” than us drivers do. We’d all love our companies to be willing to work around the driver’s schedule so we can maximize our hours. I’m sure they’d love to do that too. But with freight picking up at all hours of the night, covering the loads is their top priority, not working around my schedule. I’ve been told numerous times that the 34-hour restart is a “luxury,” not a requirement. And you know what? They’re right. No where in the HOS rules does it say that the 34-hour rule is required. And until it does, I’m really struggling with what it’s purpose is. Clearly, my blog post shows that the 34-hour rule won’t be very effective come July. The only way they can insure that drivers get two solid “nights” of rest is to make it a mandatory rule. And let’s face it; I’m not sure the trucking industry or the drivers want more rules to follow. Nothing short of a complete change in the way the industry works would make this model work. It seems to me that the whole industry would have to rotate to a more regional focus. While that would be fine with me, I see a lot of heartache and a lighter wallet if that happens.

3. Man, oh man. That’s a question we all face. Is it worth it that we have to work 70 hours a week to make decent money? I guess it is since there are so many of us doing it. If we had other options to make the same kind of money, I’m sure most of us would be doing it. This is another one of those areas where nothing major will ever change unless every driver gets sick of it and quits trucking all at the same time. And you and I both know that will never happen.

Looking forward to hearing the rest of your thoughts on this subject. But for now, go enjoy the smell of that newborn for a while. That is if you can’t get out of the old rocking chair, Gramps.