Over the Road Drivers Will Likely See Their Driving Working hours Chopped. - Brad Hollister

Full Article Here: http://blog.freightaccess.com/?p=312

trucking companies accustomed to letting Drivers haul goods all night may face federal restrictions that would curb the practice and might add almost $2 billion to the industry's annual operating costs.

The current guidelines as being considered would likely have an impact on almost two million long-haul truck Drivers by cutting an hour of driving time per day.
Truckers also would have to take breaks after driving seven consecutive hours, and wouldn't be allowed to work as many consecutive days of long shifts as they can now.

Association Executives from the American trucking Associations had stated may challenge the proposed restrictions as currently being considered.

If enacted, the rules may cost the industry as much as $1.8 billion yearly, according to a Government analysis. Among the companies that would be hardest hit are so-called truckload carriers which move goods from a single shipper in each truck from one point to another.

The trucking association puts the cost at $2.2 billion a year, citing a 2007 analysis by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the agency that proposed the changes. The agency is required to publish a final rule by July 26.

Numerous experts believe that truck driver driving time could be reduced by as much as five percent if the brand new guidelines is enacted.

Other experts believe the proposed restrictions could be closer to one billion dollars annually, which is roughly one percent of the one hundred million dollar annual revenue. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration had stated that estimate was lower than the 2007 one because analysts used "better data" about driver work patterns, the number of Drivers affected and economic assumptions including inflation.

The United States Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood had said while he announced the proposed legislation that a fatigued driver has no place behind the wheel of a freight semi truck. Lahood went on to say that the FMCSA is committed to an hours-of-service rule that should assist create an environment where commercial truck Drivers are rested, alert as well as focused on safety although driving.

These increased Transportation costs will certainly be passed on to the customers who purchase good shipped on a truck... which includes basically every consumable commodity. The added costs come at a time many feel the economy could least absorb increases in goods and food.

Small trucking businesses may be disproportionately affected given the nature of an industry where 70 percent of companies have five or fewer trucks.

Most truck Drivers rely on their dispatch teams to set everyone's driving schedule. Everyone else's schedules come first. Truck Drivers are going to be put in very difficult situations. For example, if a trucker is at a manufacturer or shipper's dock and also he is only half loaded when his thirteen hour driving limit expires, the driver cannot just declare that now he is doing to take his break.

This most current legislation is just one the recent pushes by the FMCSA to enact laws aimed at safety but which have complete disregard for the tremendous impact these kind of brand-new restrictions should have on the industry.