Drivers who fear being coerced by their companies – as well as by shippers and receivers – into driving longer periods if new hours of service rules are adopted could be provided some relief if regulators agree to insert changes into the proposal. According to the article from the freightwaves.com and its author John Gallagher

As was the case during the first listening session hosted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, Texas, on Aug. 23, driver coercion and the use of “forced dispatch” by employers was a hot topic at the second session, held in Washington, DC on Sept. 17. Galagher also wrote in his article

“It’s not illegal for a company to fire me for not delivering a load on time if I could have delivered the load through a legal manipulation of hours of service regulations,” Bob Stanton, who represents truck drivers with obstructive sleep apnea, told FreightWaves at the session.

“Being told by an employer to take your split [sleeper berth time] now so that you can work an extra three hours is not technically a violation of the rule – you have to have a violation of hours of service to violate the coercion rule. So unless they put language in the rule that says you can’t be told when and where to take a split, there’s no coercion.”

Stanton’s concerns were repeated by several others during the two-hour session, held at U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters. They weren’t overlooked by FMCSA Chief Counsel Jim Mullen, who also attended. According to Gallagher.

Read the full story HERE

Watch the full session below ( fast forward to the 9th minute of the video, that’s when the session starts)

Source and credits: freightwaves.com / John Gallagher, Washington Correspondent /  iTrucker  / Mario Pawlowski 

Related article:

FMCSA is holding Public Listening Session for proposed changes to Hours Of Service