On
January 4, 2004, the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration and the Department
of Transportation, mandated new Hours
of Service rules for the trucking industry.
To minimize negative financial effects, it
will require a cooperative effort between you
as the shipper and Hill Brother’s Transportation.
We all must understand the new rules, and improve
our internal processes accordingly. The following
is a summary of the changes.
Each duty period must begin with at least 10
hours off-duty, rather than eight hours.
Drivers may then drive up to 11 hours instead
of 10 hours, but are limited to 14 hours in
a duty period that includes meals, refueling,
servicing the truck and other routine duties.
The rule allowing 70-hours on-duty in eight
consecutive days is the same, but drivers can
restart the eight-day period only by taking
off at least 34 consecutive hours.
Hours of Service
So often
everyone thinks of DOT Hours of Service as just a
driver issue. It is true commercial motor
vehicle drivers are regulated by DOT Hours of
Service rules, but how do these rules affect our
customers.
When a driver begins his/her
14 hour shift after a consecutive 10 hour break
the clock starts and during the 14 hour shift the
driver can drive 11 hours. Delays in
loading, unloading or multiple stops affect the
number of hours a driver has available to drive
thus leading to delays in delivery appointments.
Through a monitored auditing
process, Hill Brothers is committed to helping our
drivers maintain the highest levels of DOT
compliance with Hours of Service. That
dedication to excellence will ensure that Hill
Brothers continues to operate at a satisfactory
safety rating. Maintaining a satisfactory
safety rating is very important to Hill Brothers
as it allows us to service our customers at the
highest levels possible.
By working together we can make the most of
the new DOT regulations and keep any additional
expenses to a minimum.
|
