The Official C-D Trucking Stories Thread (German, sensor, consumer, Florida)

[UrbanAdventurer]

Here's your loopholes:

IV. Overview
A. Today’s Final Rule
Today’s rule mandates ELD use for
HOS compliance. It applies to most
motor carriers and drivers who are
currently required to prepare and retain
paper RODS to comply with HOS
regulations under part 395. Today’s rule
allows limited exceptions to the ELD
mandate. As indicated in § 395.1(e),
drivers who operate using the timecard
exception are not required to keep
RODS and will not be required to use
ELDs. The following drivers are
excepted in § 395.8(a)(1)(iii) from
installing and using ELDs and may
continue to use ‘‘paper’’ RODS: 3
• Drivers who use paper RODS for
not more than 8 days during any 30 day
period.
• Drivers who conduct driveaway-towaway
operations, where the vehicle
being driven is the commodity being
delivered.
• Drivers of vehicles manufactured
before model year 2000.

Looks like model year 1999 and older rigs just went up in value (again). Older equipment prior to 2003-ish is already prized for being grandfathered out of any required emissions equipment (ie; "pre-emission motors"). Now this ELD exemption will add even more fuel to that fire.

[SD4020]

Originally Posted by UrbanAdventurer

Here's your loopholes:

IV. Overview
A. Today’s Final Rule
Today’s rule mandates ELD use for
HOS compliance. It applies to most
motor carriers and drivers who are
currently required to prepare and retain
paper RODS to comply with HOS
regulations under part 395. Today’s rule
allows limited exceptions to the ELD
mandate. As indicated in § 395.1(e),
drivers who operate using the timecard
exception are not required to keep
RODS and will not be required to use
ELDs. The following drivers are
excepted in § 395.8(a)(1)(iii) from
installing and using ELDs and may
continue to use ‘‘paper’’ RODS: 3
• Drivers who use paper RODS for
not more than 8 days during any 30 day
period.
• Drivers who conduct driveaway-towaway
operations, where the vehicle
being driven is the commodity being
delivered.
• Drivers of vehicles manufactured
before model year 2000.

Looks like model year 1999 and older rigs just went up in value (again). Older equipment prior to 2003-ish is already prized for being grandfathered out of any required emissions equipment (ie; "pre-emission motors"). Now this ELD exemption will add even more fuel to that fire.

That stands to reason. I hadn't looked that far in to the expemptions, yet.

[UrbanAdventurer]

Obviously this is mainly targeted at the big box fleets who run new equipment. They still give a little wiggle room for indy O/O's and various other 1 truck chucks to fly under the radar on this. They could have been even more punitive if they'd wanted to, requiring any truck with an electronic motor to make the jump to ELDs, which would have meant basically any truck from the early 90's on would have been subject to it, but they didn't, probably figuring anyone running equipment older than 2000 are far and few between independent guys who don't really amount to anything significant.

[SD4020]

Originally Posted by UrbanAdventurer

Obviously this is mainly targeted at the big box fleets who run new equipment. They still give a little wiggle room for indy O/O's and various other 1 truck chucks to fly under the radar on this. They could have been even more punitive if they'd wanted to, requiring any truck with an electronic motor to make the jump to ELDs, which would have meant basically any truck from the early 90's on would have been subject to it, but they didn't, probably figuring anyone running equipment older than 2000 are far and few between independent guys who don't really amount to anything significant.

Most large and medium sized operators are already on electric logs. All the major players have been for a while.

Others have had induced by the Feds. Usually when there is a pattern of hours of service violations. It comes as part of a safety improvement plan.

[Mike from back east]

Seems the first driverless semi-truck run has occurred with a 120-mile beer delivery in Colorado.

Scary sounding but driverless technology is a hot topic and I'm sure it will be perfected for both cars and trucks.

I remember when I hired trucks for shipments out of Domino Sugar in Baltimore. We used some firms out of the midwest (Riggs Food Express, Transamerican Freight Lines) to haul grocery sugar back to OH and IN. Many times trucks got delayed 2 days due to "drive train problems in Cumberland." It was a regular occurrence and all I could figure was there was a really good cathouse in Cumberland. With self-driving trucks those sorts of issues will go away as well as wrecks caused by tired drivers falling asleep, etc.

I'd love to watch a driverless semi back into the crowded narrow freight dock at Domino Sugar in Baltimore where there are about 40 truck doors with a max of 2 feet of spacing on either side. It ought to be a skill test for driver training.

My understanding is there's a shortage of long-distance drivers and IMO it's because the industry pays owner-operators (O-Os) so poorly. Driverless trucks means fewer O-Os providing tractors, thus trucking firms will have to buy and maintain their own tractors with a potential to offset some of savings from driverless trucks.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Seems the first driverless semi-truck run has occurred with a 120-mile beer delivery in Colorado.

Scary sounding but driverless technology is a hot topic and I'm sure it will be perfected for both cars and trucks.

I remember when I hired trucks for shipments out of Domino Sugar in Baltimore. We used some firms out of the midwest (Riggs Food Express, Transamerican Freight Lines) to haul grocery sugar back to OH and IN. Many times trucks got delayed 2 days due to "drive train problems in Cumberland." It was a regular occurrence and all I could figure was there was a really good cathouse in Cumberland. With self-driving trucks those sorts of issues will go away as well as wrecks caused by tired drivers falling asleep, etc.

I'd love to watch a driverless semi back into the crowded narrow freight dock at Domino Sugar in Baltimore where there are about 40 truck doors with a max of 2 feet of spacing on either side. It ought to be a skill test for driver training.

My understanding is there's a shortage of long-distance drivers and IMO it's because the industry pays owner-operators (O-Os) so poorly. Driverless trucks means fewer O-Os providing tractors, thus trucking firms will have to buy and maintain their own tractors with a potential to offset some of savings from driverless trucks.

The goal is to eliminate drivers for the long haul route on the highways and have humans takeover when the truck enters a city.

[CAJ13]

Originally Posted by robr2

The goal is to eliminate drivers for the long haul route on the highways and have humans takeover when the truck enters a city.

Perfect opportunity for someone to hack it, make the truck pull over and then steal the cargo.

[Trucker7]

People think that the only jobs that will be lost are that of CDL drivers. But it is a lot more than that; we're also talking about the industry that caters to these drivers: rest stops, roadside restaurants, motels, etc..... Driverless vehicles will be the end of hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs.

[eddie1278]

Originally Posted by robr2

The goal is to eliminate drivers for the long haul route on the highways and have humans takeover when the truck enters a city.

And who is going to want to be on the road all the time away from family just to literally sit in a truck 99% of the time? Most people don't want to do that now and they are doing the driving. Take away the driving part and there is no incentive to want the job. If the truck can do the highways automatically without a driver then give me a call when you reach Philly I'll be in my warm bed watching tv relaxing.

[Mike from back east]

Alone On the Open Road is the title of an article in today's NYTimes.

"Truck driving, once a road to the middle class, is now low-paying, grinding, unhealthy work. We talked with drivers about why they do it."

Excerpts: "Turnover at large for-hire fleets hauling freight by the truckload — the backbone of the industry — runs an astonishing 80 percent a year, ..."

The newspaper is asking for drivers to tell their stories, for that who wish to, here's the link to that site. Their site will only be open for a limited time to get input, thus time is of the essence.

The main article contains the stories of several drivers.