Here We Go Again…….

Posted on September 8, 2009 
Filed Under HOURS OF SERVICE, POLITICS

Well, once again, do-gooder groups are suing the FMCSA. They are demanding the Courts force the agency to reduce the number of permissible hours of service. This has been dragging on for so long, I’ve basically lost track of the details. Please go to the link for accurate details. From my memory, in short, FMCSA changed the rules around six years ago. They eliminated the 15 hour rule, created the 14 hour rule which everyone loves so much, made it an 11 hour rule, instead of 10, and created a 34 hour reset provision for the 70 hour rule.

So FMCSA gave some, they took some. The 11 hour rule, and the 34 hour reset are good for the industry; it allows drivers to work longer hours. The 14 hour rule, not so much, it restricts severely the number of hours a driver can work. Nevertheless, that was the rule, and everyone found they could live with it. The FMCSA has determined the new rules have not caused carnage on the highways. In fact, they believe it has made the highways safer. Believe it or not, I think they are probably right, which is one of the few times where I can say, “I agree with the FMCSA”.

Then you have these “safety” groups. I put the word safety in quotes, because frankly, I don’t think their concerns have anything to do with safety. It’s all about control. These guys are NEVER satisfied. Ever. These are mostly the same people that want to do away with trucks altogether, because they emit hot air, make a lot of noise, and are scary looking to your average Prius driver. No, you can’t satisfy these people. If someone gets hurt in a truck crash, by God, there needs to be a Government regulation which prevents that from happening in the future. So they have been suing relentlessly, hoping to find a liberal lawyer-judge who will create a much more restrictive regulation. They have to go through the Courts, because Congress won’t give them what they want. Even the Democrats in Congress know their crazy demands are unreasonable.

This used to be a free society, and with freedom comes risk. There is a balance. But not to the “gooder” groups, oh no. All safety, no freedom. So they are suing yet again, demanding less hours. Will reducing the number of hours that can be worked reduce truck deaths? Probably not. All it will do is cost everyone more money in increased food, gas, and housing costs. If the truckers have to work less hours, it means they have to put more trucks on the road, to move the same amount of freight. More trucks, more traffic, more chance of them running into something. Yes, the “gooders” are the kings of unintended consequences. Then, again, their intention isn’t safety anyway is it? It’s control.

So that’s my rant on that, the bottomline is the rules are the same, and will stay the same for the forseeable future.

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