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Truck drivers don't put in the maximum hours possible; their maximum allowed driving time is heavily regulated by law and increasingly enforced by remote monito

Truck drivers don't put in the maximum hours possible; their maximum allowed driving time is heavily regulated by law and increasingly enforced by remote monitoring.

pkulak 3y ago
Maximum hours possible is the maximum allowed driving time.
- idlewords 3y ago
  I understood it to mean maximum hours physically possible
MisterTea 3y ago
The ELD (electronic logging device) reports this data to the trucking company. It is up to them to enforce driving time. However, law enforcement can request these logs during a stop or inspection and the ELD must display this on screen or a print out. https://eld.fmcsa.dot.gov/ https://eld.fmcsa.dot.gov/
- missedthecue 3y ago
  It's pretty hard to cheat. Much to the irritation of truckers.
  - KennyBlanken 3y ago
    The opposite could not be further from the truth. Trucker forums are full of ways to cheat the devices like simply pulling a fuse or replacing it with one that's been burned out, and police can't / won't check electronic logbooks because it's too much of a hassle for them. The companies installing the electronic logbook devices are the same people who have incentive to cheat the system. So do you think anyone notices, complains, or gets disciplined when "the fuse keeps burning"?
    - stavros 3y ago
      > The opposite could not be further from the truth. This means that what you're replying to was absolutely true.
jopsen 3y ago
Do truck drivers count the hours they spend waiting to be loaded or unloaded? Sure they have breaks, but is it really spare time of you're stuck in a truck in the middle of nowhere waiting for time to pass so you can drive again?
KennyBlanken 3y ago
You mean like how hospitals were told to stop overworking their residents by the goverment, and told the residents to fake their timecards? The industry shifted to electronic logbooks and while there was initial resistance, truckers quickly learned they could just pull fuses, or cover GPS antennas...and that police officers would look at paper logbooks but didn't have the equipment or interest to pull electronic logs. Truckers in the US do whatever they please, and the rest of us pay the price when they crash and kill others or dump toxic crap everywhere.
jimt1234 3y ago
Just a side-note: My step-dad was a long-hauler when I was a kid, before any of the "maximum hours" regulations. The stories he used to tell me are terrifying. Basically, back then, all the long-haulers were alcoholics who drank coffee and popped pills to stay awake and driving for as long as they could. Dudes used to have contests to see who could drive the longest. Driving coast-to-coast on a straight shot was totally common. There were union rules around "maximum hours", but dudes wanted to get paid, so they just kept driving. Drunk, and on pills.

Truck drivers don't put in the maximum hours possible; their maximum allowed driving time is heavily regulated by law and increasingly enforced by remote monitoring.

pkulak 3y ago

Maximum hours possible is the maximum allowed driving time.

idlewords 3y ago
I understood it to mean maximum hours physically possible

MisterTea 3y ago

The ELD (electronic logging device) reports this data to the trucking company. It is up to them to enforce driving time. However, law enforcement can request these logs during a stop or inspection and the ELD must display this on screen or a print out. https://eld.fmcsa.dot.gov/ https://eld.fmcsa.dot.gov/

missedthecue 3y ago
It's pretty hard to cheat. Much to the irritation of truckers.
- KennyBlanken 3y ago
  The opposite could not be further from the truth. Trucker forums are full of ways to cheat the devices like simply pulling a fuse or replacing it with one that's been burned out, and police can't / won't check electronic logbooks because it's too much of a hassle for them. The companies installing the electronic logbook devices are the same people who have incentive to cheat the system. So do you think anyone notices, complains, or gets disciplined when "the fuse keeps burning"?
  - stavros 3y ago
    > The opposite could not be further from the truth. This means that what you're replying to was absolutely true.

jopsen 3y ago

Do truck drivers count the hours they spend waiting to be loaded or unloaded? Sure they have breaks, but is it really spare time of you're stuck in a truck in the middle of nowhere waiting for time to pass so you can drive again?

KennyBlanken 3y ago

You mean like how hospitals were told to stop overworking their residents by the goverment, and told the residents to fake their timecards? The industry shifted to electronic logbooks and while there was initial resistance, truckers quickly learned they could just pull fuses, or cover GPS antennas...and that police officers would look at paper logbooks but didn't have the equipment or interest to pull electronic logs. Truckers in the US do whatever they please, and the rest of us pay the price when they crash and kill others or dump toxic crap everywhere.

jimt1234 3y ago

Just a side-note: My step-dad was a long-hauler when I was a kid, before any of the "maximum hours" regulations. The stories he used to tell me are terrifying. Basically, back then, all the long-haulers were alcoholics who drank coffee and popped pills to stay awake and driving for as long as they could. Dudes used to have contests to see who could drive the longest. Driving coast-to-coast on a straight shot was totally common. There were union rules around "maximum hours", but dudes wanted to get paid, so they just kept driving. Drunk, and on pills.