position paper on HOS
Hours of service (HOS) rule for the CMV driver
English 112 Composition
In 1939 the hours of service (HOS) was established by the federal government for the purpose of regulating the hours a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) was allowed to operate at a given 24 hour period. Up until 2007 there were very little changes due to legal issues. It seems there are several different organizational groups out in the United Sates that cannot agree on what type of laws and regulations are needed for the CMV. A few of the more distinguished groups are Truck Safety Coalition, Parents against Tired Truckers (PATT), American Trucking Association (ATA) and Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (Ooida). Since it seems there have not been one set of rules for the CMV it is my intention to show you three different groups and their opinions as well as my own 16 years of knowledge of what I think the laws and regulation should be.
Let us start with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). From 1939 until 1962 the rules for CMV drivers were that drivers were able to drive 10 hours per day with the requirement that drivers have at least 8 consecutive off-duty hours per day. The remaining 6 hours per day could be used for work activities other than driving, such as loading, inspecting the vehicle, and completing paperwork, or for meals and breaks, with only minor changes until 2003. In 2003 they changed things again so that it increased the minimum amount of rest time between 2 shifts from 8 to 10. Then decreased the amount of on-duty time to 14 hours. It also limited your weekly hours to 60 for a 7 day and 70 for and 8 day log. Basically what it all comes down to is that you can drive a maximum of 11 hours and do all your loading, unloading, pre-trip, post-trip inspections and all your paper work done in the extra 3 hours. You then have to take 10 hours off duty before you could resume driving or working
English 112 Composition
In 1939 the hours of service (HOS) was established by the federal government for the purpose of regulating the hours a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) was allowed to operate at a given 24 hour period. Up until 2007 there were very little changes due to legal issues. It seems there are several different organizational groups out in the United Sates that cannot agree on what type of laws and regulations are needed for the CMV. A few of the more distinguished groups are Truck Safety Coalition, Parents against Tired Truckers (PATT), American Trucking Association (ATA) and Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (Ooida). Since it seems there have not been one set of rules for the CMV it is my intention to show you three different groups and their opinions as well as my own 16 years of knowledge of what I think the laws and regulation should be.
Let us start with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). From 1939 until 1962 the rules for CMV drivers were that drivers were able to drive 10 hours per day with the requirement that drivers have at least 8 consecutive off-duty hours per day. The remaining 6 hours per day could be used for work activities other than driving, such as loading, inspecting the vehicle, and completing paperwork, or for meals and breaks, with only minor changes until 2003. In 2003 they changed things again so that it increased the minimum amount of rest time between 2 shifts from 8 to 10. Then decreased the amount of on-duty time to 14 hours. It also limited your weekly hours to 60 for a 7 day and 70 for and 8 day log. Basically what it all comes down to is that you can drive a maximum of 11 hours and do all your loading, unloading, pre-trip, post-trip inspections and all your paper work done in the extra 3 hours. You then have to take 10 hours off duty before you could resume driving or working