Most drivers know what kind of dangers large commercial trucks can be on the road. After all, large truck crashes killed an average of over 4,000 people between 2007 and 2009.
Few people outside of the commercial trucking industry understand, however, what a difficult job being an independent owner-operator can be. The government issues safety regulations for the trucking industry to try to cut down on truck accidents. But the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association recently criticized the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's newest strategic plan for overlooking the realities of the industry and putting too much pressure for safety on drivers, rather than looking at the challenges drivers face that others cause which lead to accidents.
Federal Safety Role
Over the years, the FMCSA has issued many rules regarding how truck drivers operate. The FMSCA establishes the standards and training requirements that drivers need to meet to obtain a Commercial Driver's License. The FMSCA has also set Hours of Service Regulations that dictate how much time a drive may spend behind the wheel in a given period.
Currently, commercial drivers driving vehicles without passengers may only drive for 11 consecutive hours after coming off a 10 hour rest period. Drivers may not drive more than 60 hours in seven consecutive days or 70 hours in eight consecutive days. Drivers are required to spend eight consecutive hours in a sleeper berth if they use that as their rest time, in addition to two more hours either in the sleeper berth or off duty.
The FMSCA has also considered requiring trucks to install Electronic On-Board equipment to monitor driver compliance with the Hours of Service regulations. Many trucking companies already use such electronics to monitor drivers. Many trucks also have speed control equipment in them that will not let the truck travel faster than 68 miles per hour in an effort to increase fuel economy.
Financial Pressure on Truckers
Drivers face pressures from trucking companies that conflict with the safety regulations. Trucking companies press drivers to complete their trips as quickly as possible but do not allow for time spent in things other than driving that are beyond the driver's control. Many drivers complain that shipping companies are under-staffed, so loading and unloading trucks takes much longer than it should.
Trucking companies then urge the driver to count the time a driver spends waiting as the driver's "rest time" under the Hours of Service regulations. If that happens, the driver never gets a real break to rest. If a driver does record such time as on-duty hours in the logbook as he or she is supposed to do, the driver ends up losing driving time on the road, so the wait time ends up costing the driver money.
Drivers cannot "make up" the time they lose waiting by traveling at the speed limit on many freeways because the speed control equipment prevents them from going over 68 miles per hour. The driver ends up paying for other industries' inefficiencies and desire to cut corners.
Loss of Experienced Truck Drivers
In short, truck drivers are under pressure on several different fronts. Inevitably, they are faced with the rigorous physical demands of driving commercial vehicles and the long stretches away from family. But they also face the demands of trucking companies that often conflict with FMCSA rules. As a result, many experienced drivers become frustrated and burned out. They end up quitting to find other employment, only to be replaced by inexperienced drivers.
This loss of experienced drivers takes a toll on safety. In an ironic twist, the very regulations that the FMCSA issues to try to improve safety end up contributing to truck accidents because they drive experienced truckers out of the industry and bring inexperienced truckers who are more likely to be involved in an accident onto the nation's roads.
No one disputes that FMSCA's goal of reducing crashes involving commercial trucks is a laudable one. However, owner-operators suggest that the FMSCA focus its attention on others besides just the drivers in looking to enforce its regulations. Doing so might help drivers operate more safely.
