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ABF | Hours of service

Homesick said:
Why do you think the majority of ABF drivers would want to? Or that the company wants us to?
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What's up Homesick. I am with you on this one. As you work at a break bulk (service center) like I do, the last thing we want is the ability ( by force or choice) to work more hours. Especially when work gets slow and the layoffs start happening. Nothing sucks worse than sitting at home on layoff, waiting on the call to come to work so you can try to get the required days/trips worked for the week just to get your insurance for that week. All the while, your senior brothers are getting their forty plus all the overtime they can handle. If I had my way (which I don't), the company could not even offer overtime unless everyone was getting their full time guarantee for that week.
 
If a trucking company denies the driver the option of taking a 34 then migrate or leave that outfit.

The 34 is there so you can get your 70 clock restarted faster in some cases.

The FMCSA is the rule keeper of regulations etc. The trucking company do not get to say no, that is not a valid rule. All they need to say is yes sir, here is your 34 if you need it driver.
 
1984Sideways said:
If a trucking company denies the driver the option of taking a 34 then migrate or leave that outfit.

The 34 is there so you can get your 70 clock restarted faster in some cases.

The FMCSA is the rule keeper of regulations etc. The trucking company do not get to say no, that is not a valid rule. All they need to say is yes sir, here is your 34 if you need it driver.
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If the company rules are more stringent than the FMCSA rules are, then the company can absolutely apply it and use it as it is within the guidelines of the FMCSA. You have to remember, we work under a collective bargaining contract and so long as it does not violate the law, they are well within their rights to do so. Kind of like their is no law that states the employer must pay time and one half after 8 hours worked in a day. However our contract states that we do get time and one half after 8. Also, see MOU in post #2.
 
1984Sideways said:
If a trucking company denies the driver the option of taking a 34 then migrate or leave that outfit.

The 34 is there so you can get your 70 clock restarted faster in some cases.

The FMCSA is the rule keeper of regulations etc. The trucking company do not get to say no, that is not a valid rule. All they need to say is yes sir, here is your 34 if you need it driver.
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Go somewhere else if it bothers you so much. It’s in our contract to keep more workers and keep them working. That’s it.
 
1984Sideways said:
If a trucking company denies the driver the option of taking a 34 then migrate or leave that outfit.

The 34 is there so you can get your 70 clock restarted faster in some cases.

The FMCSA is the rule keeper of regulations etc. The trucking company do not get to say no, that is not a valid rule. All they need to say is yes sir, here is your 34 if you need it driver.
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It certainly is a valid rule. The company can institute rules more strict than what government allows. For instance if the speed limit somewhere is 75 mph the company can restrict their trucks to a lower speed. Perfectly legal and allowable.
 
1984Sideways said:
If a trucking company denies the driver the option of taking a 34 then migrate or leave that outfit.

The 34 is there so you can get your 70 clock restarted faster in some cases.

The FMCSA is the rule keeper of regulations etc. The trucking company do not get to say no, that is not a valid rule. All they need to say is yes sir, here is your 34 if you need it driver.
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70 is too much , a sane person does not wish to work 70 hours and how the heck can that be agreed on safe , if i was getting an operation i would not want a doctor on their 69th hour
 
Trippleswest said:
More money less miles. Our linehaul runs have everyone at the breaking point now. If you want more miles and hours I'm sure Swift has openings.
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I've tried for years to tell road drivers that when they're working more than 8 hours in a tour they are effectively working at a cheaper rate since we doing road work don't get premium rate for overtime. All they see is the larger pay check not the rate they are being paid. Many have no clue what I'm talking about so I usually give up trying to explain.
 
Triplex said:
I've tried for years to tell road drivers that when they're working more than 8 hours in a tour they are effectively working at a cheaper rate since we doing road work don't get premium rate for overtime. All they see is the larger pay check not the rate they are being paid. Many have no clue what I'm talking about so I usually give up trying to explain.
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All the past years of strong unions and that was never enhanced
 
SAC75 said:
Go somewhere else if it bothers you so much. It’s in our contract to keep more workers and keep them working. That’s it.
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Im used to it. Its the story of my work over the years dealing with these rules.

The other poster is correct the company can be more stringent than DOT or Federal Rules/Laws on trucking and be legal. I have once had a case against a trucking company years ago and FMCSA ruled in their favor to me directly stating that Companies can be more stringent.

I just need to be reminded now and then about how much that I have forgotten. When you have run as long as I have you forget more than you know. A good reminder now and then is fine. Its not a problem.
 
ED FORCE ONE said:
70 is too much , a sane person does not wish to work 70 hours and how the heck can that be agreed on safe , if i was getting an operation i would not want a doctor on their 69th hour
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I have had doctors refuse to work on me in trauma as a child. They come in see the delicate work necessary to sew me up and leave to get someone else to do it. They are so tired having been up a minimum of 30 hours straight their hands shake. Its a relatively simple head wound but has layers that need stitching with a calm hand.

Driving sleepy is worse than driving drunk. I have done enough damage driving sleepy. It would be actually safer to get me a few shots and then head down the road as I have done in the past. I would not recommend it.

Hours worked has been all 168 in a week. Then throw in another three days and two nights is about my limits back then. Three logbooks and all that back then. Its impossible now. Which is why many of the old companies I used to be abused or run for have themselves gone out of business post 2003 ELD rules putting clocks in their trucks.

Ultimately working 70 hours for one driver a week is no money in it. Wife and I was a team and we did 70,000 in income back in the early 2000's and that's about 306 service days in logs away from home. A total of about 7400 Hours worked between the two of us. Divide that by 70000 and you get a hourly of $9.53 to the truck or $4.76 per hour for me and another 4.76 per hour gross to the spouse.

The tractor did 265,000 that year. Original brakes and clutch, new tires every October and original everything else except a alternator now and then. 70000 divided by 265K miles come out to 0.26 cents per mile paid gross to the truck. We divided that. The company earned a minimum of 3.00 a mile.

One third of our current minimum wage of 11.00 soon to be 12.00 in 6months per hour.

That kind of abusive practices in poor pay to truckers makes us enemies of such. Never again.
 
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So this thread does not evolve into a union v. non-union debate I would like to point out that according to Lendon Grisham, southern regional freight director and president of the Local in Nashville, ABF did not want the 34 hour restart. Lendon was asked when he was at Local 728 in Atlanta why the 34 hour restart was not in this contract and his answer was the company did not want it. He said the union offered it at the bargaining table but the company said no......

Steward, how are things in the rock? We are flooded with freight in Atlanta. Linehaul has hired 12 drivers in the last 90 days. We are getting a Kansas city driver transferring in this week on the change of operations, and another 3 new hires are scheduled for orientation in two weeks or so.
 
Homesick said:
Steward, how are things in the rock? We are flooded with freight in Atlanta. Linehaul has hired 12 drivers in the last 90 days. We are getting a Kansas city driver transferring in this week on the change of operations, and another 3 new hires are scheduled for orientation in two weeks or so.
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We are covered up as well. They have been offering 6th/7th day work as well as early call and shift extension overtime to pretty much anyone that wants it in the dock and hostle classifications. The road side is still way behind as they can't seem to get enough people hired. One day a couple of weeks ago, we had 328 trailers on our yard to be hooked, but minimal drivers available. So, they just run the ones with the oldest freight and of course the ones with the Time Critical and Hot shipments on them. We are now down in the mid 200 range of trailers to be hooked on our yard, but with the Fourth of July coming up, I am sure we will be back in the 300 range in no time. In my 27 years, I have never seen us this far behind on out-bounds.
 
Steward of the Rock said:
We are covered up as well. They have been offering 6th/7th day work as well as early call and shift extension overtime to pretty much anyone that wants it in the dock and hostle classifications. The road side is still way behind as they can't seem to get enough people hired. One day a couple of weeks ago, we had 328 trailers on our yard to be hooked, but minimal drivers available. So, they just run the ones with the oldest freight and of course the ones with the Time Critical and Hot shipments on them. We are now down in the mid 200 range of trailers to be hooked on our yard, but with the Fourth of July coming up, I am sure we will be back in the 300 range in no time. In my 27 years, I have never seen us this far behind on out-bounds.
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At one time when freight was backed up system wide, the company allowed dock & shop employees with CDL's to run the road on their days off provided the road board was exhausted.
The company is still paying for the proposed move of the LR terminal to Memphis. The experienced employees who quit rather than move are needed now.
 
Steward of the Rock said:
We are covered up as well. They have been offering 6th/7th day work as well as early call and shift extension overtime to pretty much anyone that wants it in the dock and hostle classifications. The road side is still way behind as they can't seem to get enough people hired. One day a couple of weeks ago, we had 328 trailers on our yard to be hooked, but minimal drivers available. So, they just run the ones with the oldest freight and of course the ones with the Time Critical and Hot shipments on them. We are now down in the mid 200 range of trailers to be hooked on our yard, but with the Fourth of July coming up, I am sure we will be back in the 300 range in no time. In my 27 years, I have never seen us this far behind on out-bounds.
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A rumor floating around Atlanta is that ABF is using purchase transportation in the city again. I heard it when I was in the shop last week . A city driver was saying ABF can't or won't hire drivers and they are trying to force the employees to work overtime and on their day off.
 
1984Sideways said:
I have had doctors refuse to work on me in trauma as a child. They come in see the delicate work necessary to sew me up and leave to get someone else to do it. They are so tired having been up a minimum of 30 hours straight their hands shake. Its a relatively simple head wound but has layers that need stitching with a calm hand.

Driving sleepy is worse than driving drunk. I have done enough damage driving sleepy. It would be actually safer to get me a few shots and then head down the road as I have done in the past. I would not recommend it.

Hours worked has been all 168 in a week. Then throw in another three days and two nights is about my limits back then. Three logbooks and all that back then. Its impossible now. Which is why many of the old companies I used to be abused or run for have themselves gone out of business post 2003 ELD rules putting clocks in their trucks.

Ultimately working 70 hours for one driver a week is no money in it. Wife and I was a team and we did 70,000 in income back in the early 2000's and that's about 306 service days in logs away from home. A total of about 7400 Hours worked between the two of us. Divide that by 70000 and you get a hourly of $9.53 to the truck or $4.76 per hour for me and another 4.76 per hour gross to the spouse.

The tractor did 265,000 that year. Original brakes and clutch, new tires every October and original everything else except a alternator now and then. 70000 divided by 265K miles come out to 0.26 cents per mile paid gross to the truck. We divided that. The company earned a minimum of 3.00 a mile.

One third of our current minimum wage of 11.00 soon to be 12.00 in 6months per hour.

That kind of abusive practices in poor pay to truckers makes us enemies of such. Never again.
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Tell that story at a truck school they will go out of business
 
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