New Hours Of Service For Team Operations

Thanks to my handy dandy Driver's Daily Log program, I have run the new hours of service through the ringer and it came out clean on the other side.  A team can still run around the clock for five straight days continuously without ever stopping the truck.  Teams also can avoid the 30 minute break if they manage their time properly.  Here is an example of a team that started their run at 5 AM and didn't stop until they hit their weekly limit:

Day 1
Driver A:
Day 1
Driver B:
Day 2
Driver A:
Day 2
Driver B:
Day 3
Driver A:
Day 3
Driver B:
Day 4
Driver A:
Day 4
Driver B:
Day 5
Driver A:
Day 5
Driver B:
Day 6
Driver A:
Day 6
Driver B:
Day 7
Driver A:
Day 7
Driver B:
Day 8
Driver A:
Day 8
Driver B:

This example is missing a few elements that most drivers run into such as: Fuel, Meal Breaks, Load Inspections, Pre, Mid, and Post-Trip Inspections.  Every truck would perform a load check within the first 50 miles, and then flatbeds would perform load checks every additional 150 miles, 3 hours, or duty status change (whichever comes first)

This is a 8 on, 8 off, 3 on, 3 off, combination, but an 8 on, 3 off, 3 on, 8 off configuration would work as well. 

Most trucks don't run around the clock like this.  This team hit their 70 hours on day 6 at 9 PM causing the truck to stop until day 7 at 3 AM.  It could move 4 more hours until it had to stay stopped until Day 8 at 7 AM when the team could resume operations again.  

Just as soon as you finish reading this, the HOS will change again.  Who knows when the FMCSA will stop fiddling with these regulations.  Your guess is as good as mine. 

4 comments:

Gil said...

I hope that they don't try to shut you down even more than this. I wonder if your schedule will help your friends on the other blog?

Marlaina said...

Technically it works. And I'm sure that most drivers are working over the rules to find a way to accommodate themselves. Because we don't do this for fun, it's income.

But when the additional elements are added in to the work week, ptis, cargo checks, loading, unloading, etc., I will end up messing it up. I don't think I can or want to drive eight hours in the day, take eight off and then drive three more in what is now an opposite time of day for me. I need the regularity of shifts.

But we are all going to have to find a way to make this work for ourselves so that we can continue to be profitable. I don't think it will be easy or straightforward.

Ed said...

After being in this game for almost 20 years, I can say that us truckers are to operate at the whims of the federal government so it makes no difference how many people complain. The Regs are The Regs and all we can do is follow the rules and then try to change them legally through organized protests. The only voice we have in Washington is OOIDA and they are screaming as loud as they can. The only thing that makes these regs palatable is that everyone has to adhere to them and so long as they keep becoming more and more restrictive, the regs will only result longer transit times for freight and ultimately higher pay for the same job as before. This money has to come from somewhere and in this case it is the end consumer who foots the bill. Only time will tell if these regulations made any difference in crash statistics. If accidents go down, then the FMCSA has its case to keep them the way they are. I guess we will wait and see.

MAE said...

I have read and enjoyed every post so far and learned new things about trucking that I never knew...thank you for being out there with this important blog...