file photo by Boyd Loving
Truck Drivers Not Revved Up About New Safety Rules
Published: Sunday, 30 Jun 2013 | 7:00 AM ET
By: John W. Schoen | Economics Reporter
The federal government thinks long-haul truckers like Bryan Spoon need more rest.
But with the Department of Transportation’s new rules forcing drivers to take longer breaks and cut back on hours behind the wheel, Spoon thinks the government has created a solution looking for a problem.
“I wish the government would just quit trying to fix something that’s not broken,” he said on a recent rest stop in Columbia, Mo., after hauling a load of construction materials on the 48-foot Great Dane flatbed behind his 2009 Volvo 780.
“If I get any more breaks out here I won’t be able to make a living,” he said.
Starting Monday, drivers like Spooner will have to stick to a schedule that requires taking a 30-minute break in the first eight hours of driving, cut the maximum workweek to 70 hours from 82, and “restart” those 70 hours with a 34-hour break once a week.
sounds good to me. how can any one work around the clock like that. it’s not or fare for any one. just like snow plowing all night and day. they all need down time.
right ridgewood.