bbmyls2go
". . . but I have MILES TO GO before I sleep, miles to go before I sleep." Robert Frost
yesterdays entry today !
[ Sat Dec 13, 05:15:36 PM | Bruce Brandon | edit ]
**WARNING ! ! ! trucker lecture begins in 2nd paragraph !**
Made the delivery to rural GA and got a loaded trailer in return. Headed back up to PA but now dealing with the DOT hours limits again. Only have 4 1/2 hours to drive today and 5 1/2 tomorrow (if I drive those amounts, the total hours for driving and working [loading, unloading, fueling, daily vehicle inspections] will reach 70 hours for the past 8 day period which is the federal limit. At midnight, the hours I worked 8 days ago become available. Best way to move away from that ceiling is to take a day or two off but of course I'm out here til March so will continually have to balance my daily driving against what time will be becoming available to me as each day passes. It's a mathmatical nightmare all OverTheRoad drivers deal with daily and is about to change in January when they fiddle with another of our limits. 10 hours is the most we may now drive in one period after taking an 8 hour break. In January they allow us 11 hours, but require a 10 hour break (also giving us a reduction of "on duty, not driving" time from 6 hours to 3). They also will permit us to completely reset the 70 hour clock if we park for 34 hours (a full day plus a 10 hour break). Confusing, and as I've said, I think the majority of drivers our here could regulate their hours safely without the law hanging over thier shoulders. Those that would drive unsafely, do so now anyway.
This could also be the starting point for another economic swing - it will require trucks to be idle 10% more than before meaning more drivers have to be hired and more trucks bought to move the same amount of freight. It also means that shippers and receivers will no longer get away with requiring a driver to wait hours on end to be loaded/unloaded. The new rules, if enforced, make that waiting time "on the clock" and since we will be limited to a total of 14 hours work each day (10 hours sleep, remember?), if we sit at a warehouse for 6 hours, that means we can only drive 8 hours that day, a loss of more than 30% productivity. Word is that changes are already happening as trucking companies begin to refuse service to shippers and recievers who do not quickly get trucks in and out. (many companies, mine included, began a year ago to charge "detention fees" a surcharge when a warehouse holds a truck beyond a pre-agreed time period). This means the other companies will have to pay premium prices to get trucking firms to do business with them, which, since we know what flows downhill, means the consumer will soon be paying more money for all product.
Actually, drivers pay (and I think company profit as well) has been lower for the past 10 years than it was 35 years ago when all economic factors are adjusted. The increase in consumer prices to pay for increased freight rates is LONG overdue and I think this new hours of service rule just may be the thing to make it happen. Derugulation in the 70's allowed open competition amoung all trucking firms (and independant owner/operators) which began the entire slide to where we are now. Big firms can compete better than the 1 or 3 truck company. And until now, were willing to let their drivers be abused (waiting times, split schedules, 'hot' loads). They were willing, but in fairness, they had little choice if they wanted to continue to grow : if they tried to get shippers and receivers to pay more, honor appointment times, be responsible for the physical loading/unloading of freight, the company would simply find another truck firm willing to do it. The pay a driver recieves seems good until you accept that he is on the road for 4 weeks and then only gets one day off per week. That instead of his annual salary being for five 8 hour days, it is for six 16 hours days (when he's not driving, he's a paid security guard) on top of which he doesn't get to go home at the end of his day.
It would never happen, but I've argued over the past few years that if things were to ever be 'fair', truck drivers pay needs to double. I don't understand why a commercial pilot is paid $200,000 and a trucker $50,000. The skills are not terribly complicated for a pilot, he has less actual operational responsibility for his vehicle than I do mine, and I actually hold the safety of more people in my hands every day than he does. I pass, manuver around, avoid, and encounter thousands of souls on the road every time I start up. He has 300 people on-board and has a controller to clear the way for him from the moment his tires roll. In my fantasy, the way for driver pay to change, is for trucking firms to increase freight charges by about 70%. That in turn would probably bring product prices up 10% and I highly doubt either truckers, shippers, or the govt would ever allow that to happen.
BUT, mind you, changes are in the wind come January 4 and that may begin a ripple effect that I'm surprised no one in the business media is yet speaking about.
END OF LECTURE !!
Interesting related economic factoid about trucking - in my orientation at Crete, a comment was made that this company gets ONLY $34 profit off every load it hauls. Think about that, how could any independant trucker survive on $34 every 3 days? But of course my company has 3400 trucks. Do the math, if 3000 trucks are rolling every day on hauls of 3 days per average, that means 1000 trucks are completing a delivery every day. That's $34,000 a day, PROFIT ! After they pay the bank note on the 34,000 trucks, after they pay the wages and benefits of 35,000 employees. After they pay fuels, tolls, repairs, registration fees, on 34,000 rigs. This is a 24/7/365 industry, they are bringing in something like 12 MILLION dollars profit each year - gee, I wonder if Mr. Acklie has any single daughters? signing off, Bruce, the 34 cents per mile flunkie. (but I LOVE my job!)
**WARNING ! ! ! trucker lecture begins in 2nd paragraph !**
Made the delivery to rural GA and got a loaded trailer in return. Headed back up to PA but now dealing with the DOT hours limits again. Only have 4 1/2 hours to drive today and 5 1/2 tomorrow (if I drive those amounts, the total hours for driving and working [loading, unloading, fueling, daily vehicle inspections] will reach 70 hours for the past 8 day period which is the federal limit. At midnight, the hours I worked 8 days ago become available. Best way to move away from that ceiling is to take a day or two off but of course I'm out here til March so will continually have to balance my daily driving against what time will be becoming available to me as each day passes. It's a mathmatical nightmare all OverTheRoad drivers deal with daily and is about to change in January when they fiddle with another of our limits. 10 hours is the most we may now drive in one period after taking an 8 hour break. In January they allow us 11 hours, but require a 10 hour break (also giving us a reduction of "on duty, not driving" time from 6 hours to 3). They also will permit us to completely reset the 70 hour clock if we park for 34 hours (a full day plus a 10 hour break). Confusing, and as I've said, I think the majority of drivers our here could regulate their hours safely without the law hanging over thier shoulders. Those that would drive unsafely, do so now anyway.
This could also be the starting point for another economic swing - it will require trucks to be idle 10% more than before meaning more drivers have to be hired and more trucks bought to move the same amount of freight. It also means that shippers and receivers will no longer get away with requiring a driver to wait hours on end to be loaded/unloaded. The new rules, if enforced, make that waiting time "on the clock" and since we will be limited to a total of 14 hours work each day (10 hours sleep, remember?), if we sit at a warehouse for 6 hours, that means we can only drive 8 hours that day, a loss of more than 30% productivity. Word is that changes are already happening as trucking companies begin to refuse service to shippers and recievers who do not quickly get trucks in and out. (many companies, mine included, began a year ago to charge "detention fees" a surcharge when a warehouse holds a truck beyond a pre-agreed time period). This means the other companies will have to pay premium prices to get trucking firms to do business with them, which, since we know what flows downhill, means the consumer will soon be paying more money for all product.
Actually, drivers pay (and I think company profit as well) has been lower for the past 10 years than it was 35 years ago when all economic factors are adjusted. The increase in consumer prices to pay for increased freight rates is LONG overdue and I think this new hours of service rule just may be the thing to make it happen. Derugulation in the 70's allowed open competition amoung all trucking firms (and independant owner/operators) which began the entire slide to where we are now. Big firms can compete better than the 1 or 3 truck company. And until now, were willing to let their drivers be abused (waiting times, split schedules, 'hot' loads). They were willing, but in fairness, they had little choice if they wanted to continue to grow : if they tried to get shippers and receivers to pay more, honor appointment times, be responsible for the physical loading/unloading of freight, the company would simply find another truck firm willing to do it. The pay a driver recieves seems good until you accept that he is on the road for 4 weeks and then only gets one day off per week. That instead of his annual salary being for five 8 hour days, it is for six 16 hours days (when he's not driving, he's a paid security guard) on top of which he doesn't get to go home at the end of his day.
It would never happen, but I've argued over the past few years that if things were to ever be 'fair', truck drivers pay needs to double. I don't understand why a commercial pilot is paid $200,000 and a trucker $50,000. The skills are not terribly complicated for a pilot, he has less actual operational responsibility for his vehicle than I do mine, and I actually hold the safety of more people in my hands every day than he does. I pass, manuver around, avoid, and encounter thousands of souls on the road every time I start up. He has 300 people on-board and has a controller to clear the way for him from the moment his tires roll. In my fantasy, the way for driver pay to change, is for trucking firms to increase freight charges by about 70%. That in turn would probably bring product prices up 10% and I highly doubt either truckers, shippers, or the govt would ever allow that to happen.
BUT, mind you, changes are in the wind come January 4 and that may begin a ripple effect that I'm surprised no one in the business media is yet speaking about.
END OF LECTURE !!
Interesting related economic factoid about trucking - in my orientation at Crete, a comment was made that this company gets ONLY $34 profit off every load it hauls. Think about that, how could any independant trucker survive on $34 every 3 days? But of course my company has 3400 trucks. Do the math, if 3000 trucks are rolling every day on hauls of 3 days per average, that means 1000 trucks are completing a delivery every day. That's $34,000 a day, PROFIT ! After they pay the bank note on the 34,000 trucks, after they pay the wages and benefits of 35,000 employees. After they pay fuels, tolls, repairs, registration fees, on 34,000 rigs. This is a 24/7/365 industry, they are bringing in something like 12 MILLION dollars profit each year - gee, I wonder if Mr. Acklie has any single daughters? signing off, Bruce, the 34 cents per mile flunkie. (but I LOVE my job!)
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