You have just finished working a 10 hour day, not unusual for many people, even those that work in an office. After work you have to deal with rush hour traffic, stop by the store, and pick up your child from daycare, band or sports practice, or a friend's house.
Suddenly, somewhere on the road stuck in traffic due to an accident you hear an alarm going off. You've been "working" for 14 hours today. Your time started the second you rolled out of bed in the morning and kept ticking all day. You're 7 miles from your child's daycare but you're out of hours, out of time.
The clock and the law says you have to "stop working" NOW or risk being fined, or worse fired and subsequently evicted from your home. You have to stop on the side of the road or a parking lot to sleep. No restrooms. No shower. No food. And no way to see your kid that night.
Would you want to live your life this way? Well, neither do truck drivers. Let your state and local representatives know this is over reach, a violation of privacy, and in no way promotes safety. Join us, The American Truck Driver in this fight for our rights.
Here is what seems to be the list of demands
1. ELD Mandate stopped. - push back 2-3 years and re-evaluate. Or turn ELD's into working Paper logs with "Freedom Of Movement", just like a true paper log is used in a manner that is safe for the trucker and the public. No tracking, monitoring or infringing a trucker's privacy.
2. ELIMINATE 14 HOS - Return the logging back to pre- 2000, with split sleeper berth and "Freedom Of Movement" when situations arise.
3. SPEED LIMITERS/ SPLIT SPEEDS - Trucks should be able to keep with the flow of traffic to reduce congestion and traffic jams. Different speeds between trucks and civillian vehicles is a recipe for disaster with road rage and impatient drivers.
4. CSA SCORING TO BE ABOLISHED - CSA scoring needs to be eliminated. Mega Carriers had this brought upon them due to lack of training their drivers and needing people to fill trucks to make money. This scoring system has no corrillation to the 90% of other trucking employers out there, they don't use the system. A driver's abstract and years of behind the wheel is sufficient for employable service.
5. and 6 are about getting a CDL
7. PARKING AVAILABILITY - Businesses and local townships and cities should allow trucks to be park in a safe manner that will not interfere with daily traffic or business operations, and truckers not being fined for parking in an open parkin lot when there is no parking available when hours are up at the end of their day.
8. FINES FOR SHIPPERS AND RECEIVERS - Shipper's and Receiver's will be fined after 2 hours of wait time when the trucker makes their appointed time. Fines monies will be paid to the driver and not the carriers.
9. STOP GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES TO HB1 VISA DRIVERS AND TO DRIVERS GOING THROUGH DRIVING SCHOOLS - New drivers and legal, documented immigrants should be able to pay for their own education to show that they will be an asset to the economy, not a leach that profits off the system for little contribution and desire. HB1 Visa drivers should not be allowed to pass on their subsidies to family members to profit off of the system as well.
10. DRIVER PAID MILES AND ON-DUTY PAY - Driver's should be restituted with proper mileage pay and be paid an hourly wage for on-duty status when loading or unloading when the log book shows "on duty, not driving".
11. DRIVER'S RIGHT TO PROTECTION AND PRIVACY - Employers should be limited to a driver's privacy. Falsification to driving records, work performance and false monitoring of a driver while driving a truck should be prohibited.
12. EMPLOYERS BE REPONSIBLE FOR EXTRA FEES AND FINES - The employer should cover the extra fees for lumpers, detention fees and fines, these would be placed onto the shipping costs, not be the responsibility of the driver.
13. TRUCK WRECK AND AMBULANCE CHASER LAWYERS - The trucking industry needs protection from get rich scams where the trucker's life and the public's are in danger from these attourneys.
14. EMISSION CONTROLLERS BE OVERHAULED - ( DEF, DPF, EGR) Needs to be overhauled to be more compatible for the engine systems. Emission controls must be ADAPTED TO the particular engine and its mechanical make-up, instead of the engine manufacturer's trying to adapt their engines to fit the said emission controls.
15. EMISSION CONTROL LEVELS - Should be controlled by the federal government and remove state authority. Emission levels should be set to the levels that are attainable by the transportation industry with the given sectors of the whole transportation industry, including all land, water and air transport.
https://www.facebook.com/truckdriversunited/posts/287428551725452
https://www.facebook.com/OperationBlackandBlue/
You have just finished working a 10 hour day, not unusual for many people, even those that work in an office. After work you have to deal with rush hour traffic, stop by the store, and pick up your child from daycare, band or sports practice, or a friend's house.
Suddenly, somewhere on the road stuck in traffic due to an accident you hear an alarm going off. You've been "working" for 14 hours today. Your time started the second you rolled out of bed in the morning and kept ticking all day. You're 7 miles from your child's daycare but you're out of hours, out of time.
The clock and the law says you have to "stop working" NOW or risk being fined, or worse fired and subsequently evicted from your home. You have to stop on the side of the road or a parking lot to sleep. No restrooms. No shower. No food. And no way to see your kid that night.
THE COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S BILL OF RIGHTS
1. ELD MANDATE - Trucker's should have a choice of whether they want to run with paper logs or electronic logs, ELD's should not be forced upon an individual if they think that it will impede their sector. Also, no driver should be monitored or expected to install an electronic tracking device that records, times and is viewable to others including employers and government agencies that invades the driver's' personal space, ie; cab and sleeper of the truck. A driver being in a cognitive state of working in an environment where the driver is constantly under a monitoring device, will cause a driver to be distracted from the importance of driving, to being concerned with an eye watching and recording their every movement, thus putting the public and driver in harm's way.
2. 14 HOUR RULE - No driver should be expected to drive extended amount of hours when fatigue and illness would cause them to put themselves and the public in danger. Drivers should be allowed to stop and rest when they feel tired and be able to drive when they are rested. There should be plenty of "Freedom Of Movement" when traffic conditions, weather, vehicle breakdowns, or delays in loading or unloading causes disruptions in the driver's allotted time.
3. THE FMCSA’S CSA SCORING SYSTEM AND PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING PROGRAM (PSP) - This system subjects drivers to a scoring system that is flawed in the manner that it lacks appropriate detail to any and all circumstances. Generated reports show bias toward guilt of violations regardless of court rulings or circumstances. A driver’s worth should not be held in a report that is misleading and speculative. The burden of accuracy is placed upon the driver to obtain and review his/her report, which is not easily accessible to the driver. A commercial truck driver should not be subjected to such a flawed system that causes undue stress.
4. PARKING AVAILABILITY - Driver's should be allowed to park their rigs in a safe place and manner in designated areas so that they can rest and not be intruded upon when they are resting. Cities and towns must allow trucks to shut down in a reasonable place, without hindering businesses and local traffic without getting fined.
5. DETENTION FEES FOR SHIPPERS AND RECEIVERS - Shippers and receivers have the obligation to keep scheduled delivery and shipping times, and not hold over loads for extended amounts of time. Shipper's and Receiver's will have a 2 hour window from the time the truck arrives and to when the truck is loaded or unloaded before fees for delay will be assessed to the shipper and receiver for tardiness. These fees will be paid to the driver, NOT THE CARRIER, for inconveniences.
6. 24/7 AVAILABLE DISPATCH - Whether it is a one horse trucking firm or a mega carrier, all drivers should be able to have contact with a dispatcher for emergency situations 24/7 regardless of season, holiday or hardship.
7. FORCED DISPATCH/ DRIVER COERCION - At no time should a driver be pushed to do a run if the driver thinks that their safety is in jeopardy or dispatch forcing runs to meet a quota and will cause the driver to run illegally.
8. DRIVER PAID MILES AND ON-DUTY PAY - Driver's should be restituted with proper mileage / load pay and be paid a minimum hourly wage for on-duty status when loading or unloading when the log book shows "on duty, not driving". Each sector of the trucking industry should restitute a nominal pay to compensate “On Duty, Not Driving” time where which the driver is expected to be awake, alert and behind the wheel, not in the sleeper berth.
9. DRIVER'S RIGHT TO PROTECTION AND PRIVACY - Employers should be limited to a driver's privacy. Falsification to driving records, work performance and false monitoring of a driver while driving a truck should be prohibited.
10. EMPLOYERS BE RESPONSIBLE FOR EXTRA FEES AND FINES - The employer should cover the extra fees for lumpers, detention fees and fines, these would be placed onto the shipping costs by a predetermined amount for cost of lumpers, fines and fees for the load provided, and driver’s should hold no responsibility in the assessing, negotiating or transfer of money for any and all costs associated with their Employer’s business transactions.
11. DRIVER ABANDONMENT - No driver, lease operator, or independent contractor that are required to perform their functions over the road shall be forced out of a truck and left stranded. A trucking company shall be responsible for the safe return of the driver and his/her belongings.
In essence, to the FMCSA, the trucking industry is looked upon as a mechanical convenience to move commerce as fast and as efficiently as possible, and operating it in a utilitarian manner is more appealing to the FMCSA than catering to the needs of the driver. The Trucking Industry demands the FMCSA to recognize that the driver’s need to operate in a safe manner according to the requirements of the human body as any circumstance may demand. These protections are for the Commercial Driver’s and the Public Safety.
